Black, White, and Red
by eastern side sunsets
Summary: "The words resonated in my head. Repeated. Until it became the only thing I heard." / Everything was in place. Everything was just the way it was supposed to be. Yet what happens when one person changes everyone's perpectives on the way that things are? Everything was monochromatic until something special happened. Something that added colour to their lives. / AU /
1. Monochrome

**A/N:** _Hello! It's me Alexi here again with another story for all you amazing people out there! The inspiration came to me when I'd noticed the numerous amounts of Cinderella stories on the site, so I decided to make my own with a big twist on the classic tale, while incorporating some of the details from "Another Cinderella Story" into it.__I know, the title "Black, White, and Red" is a little weird (*really weird) but those three colors have a lot to do with the story. I'll explain why I used that as my title in the longer A/N at the end of this chapter. _I'm trying out a new writing style, so let me now what you guys think about it!

_So no, this won't be the typical Cinderella story. In this version, there won't be two evil step sisters or a godmother either, just the boy and girl... And a little bit of drama maybe? I absolutely love the classical Cinderella story, so I decided to make my own version of it. The beginning of this chapter is a little cliche, but nevertheless..._

_I hope you enjoy it! :)_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Kickin' It, Disney XD, or Another Cinderella Story.__  
_

**. . . . .**

_"You just gotta be happy, but sometimes that's hard. So just remember to smile, smile, smile._

_And that's a good enough start!"_

_- Smile by McFly_

**. . . . .**_  
_

**JACK**

The click of high heels and scuffed sneakers echoed into the hallway as they entered.

The Populars.

It was led by none other than the extremely blonde and sassy Donna Tobin, and on all three sides; left, right, and behind her, flanked Kim Crawford, Grace West, and Kelsey Vargas, followed by the football team and buff jocks. Everyone in the hall stopped and stared in pure awe as they passed by, everyone except the small group of us four misfits huddled together in the corner. We continued chatting amicably amongst ourselves, unaware of the dirty looks being shot at us.

Oblivious to the surrounding tension, Jerry proceeded to explain to us about his latest pranks, excitedly going into detail about how stunned his math teacher looked when the toilet seat became glued to his butt.

"And then the hot glue started activating! Yo, I'm telling you, Mr. Morrinson was running down that halls screaming, "Hot butt! Hot butt!" with a toilet seat glued to butt. And then-"

Jerry paused suddenly in mid-sentence to turn around and wink at Donna, whom was passing by with the rest of the populars. Jerry gave a high pitched hoot as they rounded the corner, and shouted out loudly, "What it do girl?" before returning his attention back to us.

Jerry was about to continue his explanation of his no doubt elaborate hoax when Milton interrupted, stopping him before he could even get a word out. "You gotta stop getting into detention. If you keep it up, you'll end up in..." Milton lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Maximum lockdown detention." The thin and pasty boy's eyes widened as his voice lowered, giving him a rather startling appearance.

I chimed in, "Yeah dude. I heard they don't even let you out for bathroom breaks," I told him, rolling my eyes at the obscenity. Jerry simply scoffed in reply and was about to tell us something when the bell's shrill pierced the air, interrupting him yet again, signaling it was time to head to first period.

The four of us split up, each going to different classes. My Vans squeaked across the waxed tiles of the floor as I headed towards the dreaded biology room. I took my usual seat near the back of the small rectangular room just as the teacher, Mr. Reeds entered the class, his over jelled combover shining greasily in the poor lighting of the room. The air stunk with the smell of formaldehyde and Pine air-freshener as students entered the class late, coughing slightly at the putrid smell.

"Good morning class," he said as he came, putting down his stack of thick paperwork on his desk along with a few scattered and multicolored pencils and pens. There were a few muttered, "Good morning Mr. Reeds," scattered throughout the room in response to his loud greeting. Satisfied, Mr. Reeds took out a large sheet of white copy paper with numerous words printed across it and began talking.

"Today we'll be working on different chemicals in class. Each of you will be paired up with someone else; you may not switch partners however. At the end of class the both of you will have to complete a lab report together on your findings. I warn you that the lab report is quite lengthy, so I will let you take it home and work on it together after school," Mr. Reeds stated as the whole class groaned. After straightening his blue argyle sweater and adjusting his thick glasses, Mr. Reeds pinned up the piece of paper in his hand on the board which held the names of everyone's partners and the specific interactions on our assignment.

Getting up slowly, I went to the front and quickly scanned for my name on the list, feeling slightly eager and apprehensive to find out who my partner was.

_Jack Brewer - Kim Crawford_

Frowning slightly to myself, I scanned the room for Kim. We had gone to school together ever since the 6th grade, but I doubted she would even knew my name. I spotted her sitting a few rows away, wearing an eye catching glittery gold t-shirt and faded blue jeans. Kim was chatting to Donna; whom was busily snapping gum in her mouth, the two of them busily laughed and tittering over something that Donna had said.

Well then, this was going to be interesting.

**. . . . .**

**KIM**

I laughed along with Donna at her remark, leaning back slightly in my chair during the process. She sighed after a minute in disdain, and I asked her, "What's wrong?"

She arched one of her perfectly shaped and waxed brows. "Hell, you don't remember? We still have to do Mr. Reeds damned project," Donna replied, and I winced slightly at the way she cursed so easily. Shaking it off, I got up from my chair and brushed off my jeans, Donna and I heading to the front of the room.

"Please let it be a cute guy, please let it be a cute guy, please let it be a cute guy!" Donna begged silently under her breath. Laughing, I searched the list for my name carefully, not eager to start the experiment, no matter who my partner was.

_Jack Brewer - Kim Crawford_

Jack Brewer? Who was that? And what kind of guy had a last name like "Brewer"? Turning around, I tapped Donna on the shoulder, and asked her, "Do you know who Jack Brewer is?"

She scowled slightly, her glossy red lips turning down at the corners. "Its the dude who always hangs out with the rejects," she replied after a moment, and then looked across the room. She pointed at a guy who was halfway across the room that was looking at us, the guy that I assumed Jack was. She lowered her voice after a minute of inspection though, and said, "I gotta admit though, that guy's got some serious muscles. Kelsey told me she saw him shirtless once, and that is someone's abs I'd like to see. And those jeans look absolutely amazing on him. If he didn't hang out with such losers, I swear I would'a made out with him by now."

Cocking my head, my eyes locked with a tall brunet on the other side of the bio room. I guess he was good looking, with dark shaggy brown hair that covered half his eyes and a nice looking physique. He was wearing slightly faded jeans and a white t-shirt with a blue plaid shirt thrown carelessly over. Donna was right, he did look good.

Turning around, I asked Donna, "That guy?" She nodded, smiling slightly to me. When I looked back across the room however, Jack wasn't there.

I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned around to be face to face with him. "You Jack?" I asked, tilting my head curiously while looking at him from head to toe. He looked slightly irritated, and the expression on his face tripled as soon as I had opened my mouth to speak.

"You got it right! I'm surprised you even know the teacher's name, much less mine," he muttered sarcastically, and I raised my eyebrow at his attitude.

"What's it to you? I say two words and all of a sudden you go all hostile on me," I said, confused at his remark. Crossing my arms, I glared up angrily at him, not believing his attitude towards me. Most people would give almost anything just to talk to me, so what was his problem?

Jack gave me a mocking look before saying, "Well I'm sorry not everyone pampers little miss popular. Now c'mon, the sooner we get this project done with, the sooner the class ends," he stated, turning away and heading towards a shiny black empty lab table. I begrudgingly following him across the classroom, still not understanding his sudden hostility towards me.

Sitting down next to Jack, I looked cluelessly at the vials set up. There were six multi colored vials in front of us, each containing 500 mL of a liquid. Picking up the pretty blue one, I was about to pour in into the flask and see what would happen when Jack's hand stopped mine. I ignored the sudden heat that rushed up to my cheeks and glared at him.

"What's it to you now?" I asked, annoyed that he had stopped me. Jack rolled his eyes as if it was obvious, and pointed towards his large eye goggles and gloves. "Protection," he said simply in disbelief, setting the vial back down carefully and handing me a pair of gloves. I said nothing, because quite honestly I felt stupid for not remembering it sooner.

"Reject," I said under my breath quietly.

"Prissy pants."

**. . . . .**

An hour later the period ended, but unfortunately, we didn't finish out lab report in time, so the two of us agreed to meet after school in the study hall; a long and open hallway with benches and tables set up for study, hence the name study hall. When the bell rang, he stood up hurriedly and left, not even bothering to pack up my book bag for me. Who did he think he was? And now I had to spend even more time with him after school.

The rest of the school day passed by relatively quickly, and before I knew it, the end of the day was near.

Grace met up with me in the hallway as the two of us headed to the last class of the day, World History.

"Did you hear the news?" she asked, giggling uncontrollably. "What?" I replied, wanting to know what had got her so excited. She handed me a flyer that she was holding in her hand for me to read.

_~Seaford High's First Annual Black and White Masquerade Ball~_

_Friday, December 1 from 8:00 P.M. all the way until Midnight_

_We hope you come!_

"They're holding a black and white ball?" I questioned, looking at Grace out of the corner of my eye. As the two of us walked in the halls, I noticed several other people whispering excitedly to each other, all of them holding the same flyer that was currently in my hand. Grace nodded and then said, "Not just any ball, a masquerade! And it's tomorrow night! 'Cause of budget cuts, the school hasn't had a function like this in years. And now they;re finally hosting a ball! How did we not know about this sooner?"

I was about to answer when I got jostled roughly, my books tumbling to the floor. "Watch where you're going!" I snapped, picking up my binders that had fallen out of my arms during the encounter. Looking up, I saw the black pants and red jacket with the familiar black logo. It was the Black Dragons.

I looked up further and saw the slight smirk on Frank's face. "We still haven't forgiven you for ditching us. One of these days, you and your popular little crew are going to pay for leaving the Black Dragons!" Frank sneered, and with that, the Black Dragons stomped off, leaving Grace looking at me in shock.

"What was _that_?" she asked, confused. "Nothing," I replied, before further explaining, "I used to do karate with the Black Dragons until I became friends with you guys, but I quit because-"

"Hey girls!" a voice called out, interrupted my explanation to Grace. Donna caught up to Grace and I and starting walking along side us, since her math class was one door down from our World History class.

She too was clutching a piece of paper in her hand and paused to take a breath before saying, "I love masquerades. You can make out all night long with a bunch of cute and mysterious guys," Donna stated, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as few guys wolf whistled because of the extremely short leather skirt that Donna was wearing. But it also could've been due to the fact that her bust was barely covered by a red crop top and her high heels looked impossible to walk in, although all in all she looked good. Donna turned her head and winked at a football player before turning back around and saying, "Can you imagine the loads of mysterious hunks that'll be there?"

"Y'know Donna, there's more to life than making out," Grace said from my right, and Donna simply scoffed and flipped her head, her long blonde hair nearly slapping me in the face in the process. "Yeah, sure there is," she answered sarcastically. "So Kimmy, you coming?" she asked, looking at me slightly apprehensively.

I thought about it for a minute. It was a great idea, I would get to meet a bunch of hot guys and socialize. "Yeah, I'm totes going," I replied, smiling and giggling along with them.

"Great. I can't believe that the dance is tomorrow night. I mean, hello? That's not nearly enough time to get ready! This school is so... so..." Donna stuttered in mid-sentance, not knowing what word to say.

"Incompetent?" Grace answered for her with a questioning look.

"Yeah! What you said. Anyways, what'dya say about going to the mall after school? We could pick out shoes, dresses, masks, accessories," Donna said as she ticked each item off of her manicured fingers, the bangles on her arm jingling loudly.

"I'm in!" I squealed as we shook on it, completely forgetting that I had previously made plans for this afternoon. Donna re-applied a thin layer of lipgloss before leaving. "I'll text Kelsey the details later. Toodles!" she said, departing with a wave.

The three of us reached our classes, and Grace and I entered the World History room chatting about our spree later on today, Jack's and our "study date" already gone from my mind.

**. . . . .**

**JACK**

I walked out of my last period of the day; Literature, and headed towards the study hall, annoyed that I had to meet up with Kim after school. I'd never had anything big or major against the populars, but the fact that Kim didn't even know whom I was insulted me more than a little bit. After all, we had been going to the same high school and middle school for five years! I was deep in thought until-

"Yo Jack!" I heard behind me, and I turned around to see Eddie, Milton, and Jerry running up quickly behind me. They closed the distance quickly, their book bags bouncing rather comically on their backs.

"What's up?" I asked, wondering what the big deal was. Milton was holding a piece of paper and trying to talk at the same time, but the only thing that came out were strained wheezes. Patting his back, I looked at his face, which was covered with a sheen layer of sweat from the two meter sprint.

Eddie grabbed the paper from Milton's hand and shoved it in my face for me to read. My eyes scanned quickly over the small text as I read. After a moment, I spoke up. "A masquerade ball tomorrow night?" I asked, looking quizzically at them. What was so important? It was just another stupid school function. Annoyed, I brushed away a few locks of hair that had fallen irritably in front of my eyes. _Man, I really need a hair cut._

"Yeah dude! Think about it, a bunch of chicks in masks!" Jerry exclaimed, letting out a long and loud "Whoo!" as he high fived with Eddie. I scoffed at their petty excitement, turning back around and looking at Milton, whom had finally recovered his breath enough to speak.

"Ignore those idiots. All they ever think about is getting into girls' pants," Milton stated truthfully, and I was forced to agree with him. Jerry's and Eddie's minds were dirtier than sewage gutters, and they weren't ashamed to admit it.

"Anyways, you coming to karate practice today Jack?" Milton asked as we walked along, the two of us keeping a steady pace as Jerry and Eddie trailed behind us, already talking about which girls they were going to ask out.

I shook my head disappointedly, "I'd love to, but I have to finish a lab report with Kim," I replied sullenly, not excited about my after school activities as I usually was. Jerry's voice perked up at the mention of her name. "Kim? As in Kimberly Crawford? As in the best friend of Donna Tobin?" he spouted out, all of a sudden interested in I and Milton's conversation. I hit him lightly in the arm before replying, "Yeah, why?"

"Donna Tobin is the single most sexiest-"

"Cutest," Milton corrected him, not liking the sound of hearing any distantly vulgar words. He shuddered slightly, but still continued walking.

"-Sexiest girl in school!" Jerry continued, ignoring Milton's remark. "Dude, you think you could get Kim to hook me up with her?" Jerry asked, looking at me urgently. I laughed in response at his question. "No way. I'm not talking to Kim anymore than I have to," I replied, re-adjusting the itchy straps of my book bag around my shoulders.

I sighed to myself as we reached the exit of the school, Eddie, Milton, and Jerry already heading out to go to karate practice at the dojo.

"Tell Rudy that I'm sorry I can't make it today. I gotta go, I don't want to keep "the highness" waiting any longer," I hollered to the guys before turning around and heading deeper into the school.

Trudging over to the study hall, I sat down on one of the prepared tables and took out my lab report, getting all my pencils and pens lined up in the process. I looked at the clock and watched in strange fascination as the minute hand ticked slowly.

I waited for Kim to show up... And waited... And waited... And waited...

**. . . . .**

**KIM**

I laughed along with Donna, Grace, and Kelsey as we strolled through the mall. The four of us had met together first thing after school to go dress shopping for the masquerade ball. Personally I couldn't wait for the ball to come tomorrow night, we would have a blast together.

"So anyways, I got paired with this nerd named Julie. _Loser! _But it was okay, since she finished the lab report for me!" Donna squealed as she told us about her day. All of a sudden, I remembered about Jack, and how we were supposed to meet each other after school at the study hall. My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as I glanced at my watch, and saw that I was already half an hour late.

"Shit!" I exclaimed suddenly, startling Grace, Kelsey, and Donna out of their conversation. They looked at me with confused faces and simultaneously asked, "What?"

I shoved my shopping bags into their hands quickly, and the three of them looked at me as if I had grown a third boob. I ran out of the mall, yelling to them on my way out, "I was supposed to meet Jack after school! I'll see you guys later!" leaving them looking at my retreating back, confused at what had just happened in the past two seconds.

Panting hard, my flats kicked up dirt on the sidewalk as I ran. Breaking out into a sprint, I headed towards the school until I finally reached the study hall, pausing to take a deep breath before entering. I burst in, my lungs heaving, and spotted Jack in the corner, sulking next to a table, doodling idly in a notebook to pass the time.

"Jack! I'm here!" I yelled, running towards him. He looked up at me with a mixture of annoyance and anger, and I could hear both emotions clearly in his voice when he spoke.

As soon as he had opened his mouth, I knew that I wasn't going to get a warm greeting out of him. "Where were you? You're half an hour late, I already finished the lab report without you! Got caught up making out with your horny boyfriend again?" he asked, staying where he was. Jeez, Jack had a temper.

"No! I don't even have a boyfriend, everyone knows that! I was shopping with Donna and Grace and we-" his face contorted to an expression of disbelief. "Shopping?" he asked. "Shopping?" asked again, looking enraged at having to wait half an hour because I was out shopping.

"Y'know what? I don't need to explain it. A reject like you wouldn't understand," I smirked at him, crossing my arms as I felt my hackles rising at this attitude and temperament. With one large sweeping motion, Jack stuffed everything into his bag and zipped it closed, swinging it over his shoulders, his eyes blazing with fury at my statement.

"Reject? That's it, I'm outta here!" he said before turning around and leaving, not even bothering to say bye.

So what? Who needed someone like him? I could finish it by myself, and I would. Surely it couldn't be that hard right? I scanned my eyes over the paper, and I realized one thing...

_Damn, bio is hard._

I stayed up all night trying to figure the problems out, and I spent hours at end on the internet searching up answers, all to no avail. By midnight I hadn't even gotten half of the questions done, and if I got another F in bio, my grade would drop from a faltering C to a flat out D. And that could not happen, or else I would be forced to go to..._Summer school._

I shuddered at the mere thought of my summer being filled with hard work and school rather than lip gloss and high heels. A long time ago, back when I had done karate with the Black Dragons, discipline and martial arts were my life. But with popularity comes great sacrifice, so I had to deep-six karate in order to be friends with Donna, Kelsey, and Grace. But it was all worth it when I had finally earned a coveted spot in the popular crew and became known to the school.

I flopped onto the bed, annoyed as hell at the stupid work Mr. Reeds had given us. Embarrassing or not, I would just have to beg Jack for the answers tomorrow morning. Closing my eyes, I quickly fell asleep, drooling a little on my satin and silk bedsheets in the process.

**. . . . .**

The next morning at school, I was at my locker when I spotted Jack out of the corner of my eye, laughing and talking to his friends, albeit about stupid things. I approached them warily, not sure about how to other half of the human sub-species acted like. I adjusted my olive green jacket and made my way over to them.

I gently tapped on Jack's shoulder, and after a moment he turned around, the smile instantly wiping off his face when he saw it was me. _Touché._

"Hey Jack, can I talk to you for a moment? In private?" I asked quietly as people around us stopped and listened, wondering why someone like me was talking to him. The whole hallway was in utter silence, trying to make sense of the situation.

He looked miffed at my question. "Why? You wanna make fun of me again? Go ahead, what's wrong with doing it in public?" he challenged, looking down angrily at me. Sucking up the last of my pride, I pulled him away to a small and private hall near the bathrooms, completely out of earshot. "What?" he yelled, clearly annoyed now. "You met me yesterday for the first time. What'd you want?" he asked, pulling away.

I grabbed his wrist before he could leave, yanking him back to me. "What!?" he asked yet again, and I was suddenly aware of the closeness and the proximity between us. Pushing him away from me, I took a deep breath and said quietly, "I know we got off to a bad start-"

"Start? We've been going to school together for five years and you didn't even know my name. If that's all you wanted to say, then I'm outta here!" Jack said, pulling his wrist from mine.

"Please. I really need your help. I'm begging you to listen to me."

He opened his mouth to scoff at me again, and then closed it in shock when my words registered in his mind. "Huh?" Jack asked, looking shocked at my admission. "Yeah, you heard me right. I need help with the lab report. I can't fail bio, I just can't. Could you help me?" I asked, looking down in my shoes in shame. Here I was, one of the most popular girls in school, begging for the help from some guy I barely even knew.

Jack looked at me warily, as if trying to figure out if it was a prank or not. Looking up once again, my eyes locked with his, and I asked again, "Please?"

Jack heaved a sigh and finally gave in. "Fine, I'll help you. We only have half an hour before homeroom, but one rude comment and I'm leaving," he stated, looking at me with a hint of distrust.

"...Deal."

**. . . . .**

"Nuh-uh!" I argued, closing my finished lab report and tucking it safely in my book bag.

"Uh-huh!" Jack retorted, lacing his fingers together on top of the dark cherry table.

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was not!"

"Was too... Wait! Hey!" I exclaimed, suddenly realizing what Jack had gotten me to say. Turning around to look at him, I placed a well aimed punch squarely in the center of his chest.

"OW!" he yelped, clutching his chest slightly. He looked at me curiously while I smirked at him. "Where'd you learn to punch like that?" Jack asked, rubbing the wound gently. Proudly, I flexed my arms and gave him a light slap before saying, "Six years of karate."

Jack perked up instantly at my statement. "You do karate?" he asked, looking interested. "Did," I corrected him, and a look of confusion veiled over his eyes. "Did? Why'd you quit?"

"Popular girls aren't supposed to do martial arts. It was either karate or my status, so I chose my status over it," I shrugged, as if it was nothing. Jack looked appalled, but he quickly masked it by turning away and smiling.

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but I was interrupted by the bell. Jack and I stood up and exited the hall.

The two of us were walking out, hand in hand when Jack commented, "Y'know Kim, I guess I pegged you as the wrong type of girl. You're still a diva, just not as much of a priss as I thought you would be," Jack admitted as we exited the library, looking down at me.

"Thanks so much," I said sarcastically, smiling dryly at his statement.

"Really, I mean it," he said, and I could tell he was being sincere.

"Thanks" I replied. With a wave, I turned left and headed towards homeroom, not noticing that Donna had been standing behind the lockers, studying me and Jack together.

**. . . . .**

**"**So, what's the 411 on you and Jack?"

My spoon landed on my tray with a soft "plop!" On my right, Kelsey gasped dramatically, her mouth forming a small and perfect "o" of shock. Grace continued eating her cafeteria mush as usual, but I could see that she was listening intently.

"What about Jack and I?" I asked, trying to play down Donna's question. I kept my eyes on my black styrofoam tray, not daring to look up, not right now when the whole situation was precarious. I could be kicked out of the popular crew if I was seen interacting too much with non-populars, and I had worked hard to get my spot next to Donna.

"Ya know, the whole exiting out of the library together, giggling, talking, holding hands... _Flirting,_" she said, looking at me with a raised brow, setting her fork down carefully.

"It was nothing. He was just helping me with bio," I assured them, going back to cutting the stale mystery meat.

"Mmmhmmm," Donna replied, not sounding impressed or convinced. Looking up, I told all of three of them, "I've known the guy for all of like two days. Really, I just needed help with biology and the project," I said again, only this time, it sounded more like I was trying to convince myself.

"Anyways..." I trailed off, trying to change the subject, "I had to finish my lab report yesterday, so I still need to find my dress. The dance is tonight and I still have nothing to wear!" I said in utter disbelief. Kelsey and Donna once again gasped at my predicament. To the two of them, being dress-less on the night of the dance was a unexplained horror. "Can one of you guys come with me?" I asked, looking pleadingly at them.

"Sorry Kim, I have to get my hair done before the black and white ball tonight. Y'know, curls before girls!" Kelsey squealed, fluffing her light chestnut hair.

I glanced hopefully at Donna, "I can't either. I have a spa appointment today, so no can do Kimmy," Donna apologized, the bangles on her arm jingling outrageously again as she moved her hand.

"I can go with you Kim," Grace offered, looking at me kindly. I flashed her a warm smile and went back to my lunch, already thinking about what dress I would wear tonight.

**. . . . .**

Grace and I met up after school by the mall to go dress shopping for tonight. The two of us were in a large gown boutique, pawing frantically through the racks to find a dress for before the time came for the ball that was being held in just a few short hours.

"It'll be easier if we narrow it down to a specific kind of dress," Grace rationalized, pausing to look at me. I nodded my head in agreement, and she continued on with, "What colour do you want to wear? Black or white?" I thought about it for a moment, looking down at my tanned skin and gauging which colour would look better.

"I don't know, I think both would look nice," I said, shrugging my shoulders. Grace looked at me understandingly and then said, "Okay then, we can get you a black and white dress."

Looking over the boutique again, my eyes zeroed in on a dress hanging forgotten on a rack a few feet away. The top was a soft cream white with thin spaghetti straps, and the bottom was a long and flowing black satin skirt with a glittering silver belt high on the bodice. Grabbing it quickly, I scurried into the dressing room and shimmied it on, looking satisfied at the end result.

Posing in front of the mirror with Grace next to me, I asked her, "What do you think?"

"Perfect!"

**. . . . .**

**A/N: **_So, I hope you guys enjoyed chapter 1 of "Black, White, and Red" and found it to your liking. The chapters in this story are going subsequently longer than what I'm used to, and the writing style is a bit different, but so far I like where this fic is headed towards._

_This is pretty much a reversed Cinderella story, where the girl is the popular one and the boy is the one who runs away from her. The reason why this story is called "Black, White, and Red" has to do with what Jack wears to the Black and White Ball, and the title pretty much gives away what odd colour he will be wearing that makes him stand out (*cough cough... It's red!) Sorry if Kim seems a little too stuck up, or Jack seems a little too arrogant, but it's all part of their personas. The next chapter's (chapter 2) main setting will be "The Black and White Masquerade Ball", in which Kim will meet a mysterious rogue... (*Squee, it's Jack!)_

_I have their outfits posted on my polyvore account (goldeneyes19382). Because fan-fiction doesn't allow me to post links on stories, I have the link for the outfits on my profile page, or you can just use the URL on a new window; www . polyvore . com (/) black_white_red/collection?id=1783618 (remove all the spaces and parenthesis first), which you can copy and paste onto a new page to view. I also have Jack's and Kim's Black and White Ball outfits posted on my polyvore, just as a kind of sneak peak to chapter 2 and the ball (*wink wink!)_

_So please review and tell me what you thought of it so far, and I'll try to update as soon as I get the chance to!_

_Lots of Love!_

_-Alexi :)_


	2. The Colour Spectrum

**A/N:** _Oh... my... fudge pops... You guys are absolutely amazing! Thanks so much for all the reviews, I loved reading each and everyone of them. Stay awesome!_

_So, this is the chapter of the big "Black and White Masquerade Ball", where the Jack and Kim relationship will start to grow. There's going to be some drama in this chapter, but not a lot of romance though. In this chapter, you'll get more of Kim's "inside view" of things and what she really thinks of her friends, i.e. Donna. I'm keeping this A/N short so you guys can go read the chapter already. I hope you guys enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Disney XD's Kickin' It. I really wish I did though..._

**. . . . .**_  
_

_"I'm getting tired of asking, this is the final time. So did I make you happy?_

_Because you cried an ocean."_

_- POV by McFly_

**. . . . .**_  
_

**KIM**

Grace and I were in my room in front of the large vanity I had set up, prepping for the ball. Kelsey and Donna were going to meet us there, so right now it was just the two of us girls, talking and chatting as we got ready.

"I wonder what Donna's going to wear," I said absentmindedly as I curled a strand of my hair around the piping hot curling iron, my eyes meeting Grace's in the mirror. Her dark brown eyes were shining in happiness at the thought of the ball, her lips pursed in concentration.

Grace simply shrugged in reply to my question. "I've got absolutely no idea. Donna's Donna, you never know what's going to happen next with her," she remarked, clipping a piece of her dark chocolate hair into place from behind me. I smiled at sweet-natured Grace, who was smart enough to never talk dirty about anyone.

I tucked my tongue in my cheek as I finished the last curl, pining it up to cool down. Setting down the curling iron, I swiveled around in my chair to face Grace, who was patting her hair in satisfaction and putting the last bobby pins in.

"There!" she said, looking happy as she looked at herself in the full body mirror. Chuckling at her enthusiasm, I unpinned my freshly curled hair and let the spiral ringlets fall down around my face as they pleased. After spraying liberally with hairspray, I leaned in closer to the mirror to inspect my face, which was still nude and without a trace of makeup.

With a sharp eye, I examined my extensive line of beauty care, thinking about which beauty products I should use. After a moment of debate, I picked up a foundation and started applying it on my face, blending it out towards my jaw line with the fluffy makeup brush.

I glanced at Grace, who was on the other side of the room, applying her final coat of lipstick and tweaking her makeup slightly. Turning my attention back to my reflection in front of me, I applied mascara on, keeping a steady hand as I worked the wand, applying thick and generous layers on my lashes.

After a few coats, I set down the mascara tube and picked up the eye shadow palette, my fingers and eyeshadow brush working quickly and efficiently as I applied purple, silver, and browh colors on my eyelid crease, making my eyes seem larger and round, much to my satisfaction. I finished it off with a coat of dark pink lip gloss, and after smacking my lips, I delicately put on the lace mask that Grace and I had spent so much time earlier this afternoon scouring for. It was a glossy black colour with the ends of the eyelet holes tipped up, and the edges of the entire mask was decorating with sliver lace and glitter. I turned away from the mirror and stood up, spinning around in a full circle.

"So?" I asked Grace, who was inspecting me with a critical eye. She smiled after a moment, and exclaimed, "You look amazing Kim!"

"You too!" I replied truthfully, looking at her. Grace was wearing a soft white dress that stopped mid-thigh and light makeup, her face looking youthful and fresh. She donned a simple solid black mask, gold gladiator style sandals, silver bangles on her left arm, and a few neon green feathers laced into her hair. "Really, you look amazing too," I said again, grabbing my clutch from my bureau as I headed out. A quick glance at the clock on the wall confirmed that it was 7:50 P.M.; we would get to the masquerade just in time.

The two of us piled into my shiny red BMW and sped off to the school, where you could already see and hear the party that was underway. The two of us exited the car and entered the school. One word flashed through my mind as we entered the auditorium turned dance floor.

_Wow._

Hundreds of kids were packed in the auditorium, all of them wearing masks along with black and white attires. There was a disco that hug high over the crowd, flashing neon lights across the dancers on the floor. Streamers hung from the ceiling and music blasted in from amps placed strategically all over the dance floor. A few tables with punch were set up on the sides. Black and white tables were scattered on the far left and side of the room, providing a small resting spot for tired students and dancers. The DJ's remix blasted through the amps, music filling the air. All in all, it looked fantastic. Spectacular. Amazing._  
_

I looked at Grace, who had the same expression of wonder on her face. I heard a loud squeal and a high "Hi!" from behind me. The two of us turned around to be face to face with two other girls in masks, one with light blonde hair and another with light chestnut hair.

"Kim! Grace!" the tall platinum blonde one exclaimed as she pulled me in for a hug. _Donna. _

"Donna! You look..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. She was wearing short black cocktail dress with no sleeves, and her cleavage all but spilled out from the top. Her lips were painted a bloody red, her eyes glittered intensely with silver glitter eyeshadow, and her thighs were almost three-quarters exposed. _I wonder if she feels a breeze._

Donna looked at me expectantly, and I realized that I had to say something. "You look awesome!" I fibbed, glancing and giving her a one-over.

She smiled and from her side, Kelsey pipped up, "Kim, I'm loving the dress!" Blushing at her compliment, I twirled around, the sheen and silky white fabric of the dress pooling at my legs as I paused. "I know, right?" I said, smoothing it down again. A few guys around me wolf whistled, and Luke, one of the football players that all the girls used to fawn over, came up to me.

"Hey sweet thing," he said, and I could smell faint traces of alcohol in his breath. _Great, booze at a ball. Could it get any more repulsive? _Disgusted, I pushed him away and ran to catch up with Kelsey, Grace, and Donna, whom were a coupled feet away._  
_

The four of us headed over to the dance floor, Donna only stopping to whisper something in a few guys' ears once in a while. The music was fast and catchy, and all around us, people were dancing to the tune. We joined in to the horde of people bopping, and I let myself go.

**. . . . .**

**JACK**

"So, what do you want to do when we get inside?" I asked Milton, Eddie, and Jerry as we clambered out of my car, heading towards the dance. Milton shrugged in reply, "I don't know, but I know what Eddie and Jerry are going to be doing," he remarked with a raised brow. I looked back and saw Eddie and Jerry a few paces after Milton and I, each of them making... Inappropriate gestures.

Shaking my head in disbelief at the two idiots, I continued walking to the school, until finally the four of us reached the auditorium doors that lead to the dance.

Even with the double doors closed, I could hear the ear blasting music that was being played on the other side, and I shuddered at the thought of all the people who were probably drunk and high at a high school _formal black and white ball. _

Pushing those thoughts aside, I opened the doors and stepped inside, not prepared for what was going to happen next.

I could hear gasps coming from several people around me as soon as I entered. The gold mask that I had on suddenly seemed claustrophobic and suffocating as students stopped dancing and looked straight at me, confused and odd looks on their faces. There were whispers spreading through the crowd as more and more people turned to look at me, giving me more unwanted attention. Beffuddled, I looked around when it hit me.

Everyone was wearing black and white.

And here I was, wearing a red blazer.

**. . . . .**

**KIM**

"Oh.."

"My..."

"Gosh..."

Donna, Kelsey, and Grace stopped dancing suddenly, as did nearly half of the other people. Confused, I looked in the direction that everyone else was and saw a boy.

He was near the entrance of the dance. At first I didn't realize what was so important or what was the big deal, and then I realized, he was wearing red. Red! Someone had wore red to a "Black and White Ball".

"That is some bold guy," Grace whispered into my ear. I could't help but nod in agreement. It was a bold move.

From my other side though, Donna commented a bit huskily, "My god. Look at that build, that smile, that hair!" she squealed, and licked her lips a bit fetishly. I sighed at Donna, for her the only thing that mattered were the looks.

The boy still hadn't moved, and by now I could see that he was quite uncomfortable with all the attention. A few girls were whispering and applying lipgloss, so that probably meant Donna wasn't the only one who thought he looked good.

Minutes ticked by on the clock, and eventually, people returned to their business and dispersed, the boy wearing red wandering off into the crowd of the dance and out of sight.

**. . . . .**

Later on during the evening, I excused myself from Donna, Kelsey, and Grace's conversation and went to go get punch. The juice was a brilliant blue hue in a crystal bowl that smelled faintly of blue raspberries. I reached for the intricate silver ladle at the same time as someone else, my small and tanned hand bumping into a large and paler one.

Looking up, I saw that it was the guy who had attracted so much attention by wearing red. "Sorry," he mumbled, his hands gesturing to the punch bowl for me to go first. His voice had a ring of familiarity, yet I couldn't put my hand on who it belonged exactly to. It was nice though, and it sounded warm and soothing to me.

I smiled in return at his apology. I couldn't help myself, and the words cam tumbling out of my lips. "Nice jacket."

He looked down at his bright red blazer and grinned sheepishly, but he didn't seem very embarrassed. "I didn't know what to wear. Trust me, I didn't even want to come in the first place," he admitted, straightening the gold mask on his face.

I cocked my head slightly to the side. "It's a Black and White Ball, how much more blunt could they be?" I asked, chuckling at him. He simply shook his head in mock despair and handed me a full plastic cup. Confused, I took it from him into my grip, not knowing what it was for.

"Punch. Ya know, what you came here for," he explained simply, and I nodded in return and said a quick, "Thanks." I returned to the table where Donna, Kelsey, and Grace were conversing, the three of them laughing at something Grace had muttered. They stopped talking and suddenly looked up when I sat down next to them, two pairs of brown eyes and one pair of icy blue eyes looking straight at me.

Donna shimmied her chair next to me. "So, did you talk to _Mr. Smexy_?"

"What?" I asked, confused as to what she was talking about.

Donna rolled her eyes as if it was obvious. "Hello? The guy who was wearing red? Gold mask? Amazing hair?"

I rolled my eyes at her definition of the boy who I had bumped into at the punch bowl. "No, why?" I asked, turning my head to the group of them. Grace's eyes were glued to the screen of her iPhone, and it appeared she wasn't listening to a word of the conversation.

Kelsey heaved a big and dramatic sigh. "Hello? He may have broken the black and white rules, but did you not see his hotness factor?" Kelsey squealed, as if it was obvious.

_Silence._

"I dare you to go talk to him!" she exclaimed suddenly, startling me out of my thoughts.

I laughed and shook my head. "Nope, I'm fine."

Donna let out a gust of air followed by a squeal and hurriedly stood up, as if she couldn't wait to go somewhere. "If you won't, I'll go talk to him!" She paused and applied on another layer of bright red bold lipstick and adjusted her mask.

Call me selfish, but I wasn't about to let Donna flaunt around another boyfriend. I sighed and pushed myself away from the table an headed towards the boy across the room before Donna could reach it.

He was sitting by himself at a table, the sleeves on his red blazer rolled up to reveal some pretty ripped biceps. _Kelsey was right, this guy defiantly has a "hotness factor." _

I scooted into the chair next to him, and his head instantly snapped to the side when he heard the chair screech across the floor. _Good reflexes. _I smiled and took off my mask, revealing it was the Kim Crawford underneath. Surely he would fall to his knees to keep a popular happy. I flashed a white smile at him.

"Hello," I said perkily, and I watched as confusion etched onto his features.

"Hi?" he said hesitantly, as if not knowing what I was planning. The poor guy was thoroughly befuddled with my sudden appearance. I took the silence as time to study him. If I tried to before, I would have come off as maybe a bit... Stalkerish.

He was tall, probably around a foot taller than me. The majority of his face was covered by a gold mask with embedded beads along the side, the light reflecting off of it to give it almost a glowing quality. He still had his tomato red blazer on, along with a pair of dark jeans and classy black dress shoes.

The quiet was becoming to unbearable and awkward. "Who are you?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going. I could feel Donna' eyes on me from across the room, waiting for her turn to swoop in and see who _"Mr. Smexy" _was. Donna was a really good friend, but sometimes it was annoying always being in her shadow, with all the boyfriends and jocks she had wrapped around her finger.

He laughed at my question, and I couldn't help but feel that I already knew who it was beneath the blazer and mask. The memory was right on the tips of my fingers, yet I just couldn't think of who the laugh made me think of.

"I'm just the idiot who wore red to a Black and White ball," he answered, shrugging casually.

"It could've been worse," I reasoned, looking up at him, trying to make it seem better. I didn't know why, but I had the strong urge to console him.

"Like what? The only thing that could've been worse is if I forgot my pants," he joked, shaking his head. Long locks of chocolate brown hair arranged themselves perfectly around his face once again, his mouth turning up at the corners from the beginnings of a smile.

I was about to try and make a witty comeback when a shadow fell over the table. A certain shadow wearing a tiny black dress and red lipstick. _Donna. _"Kimmy!" she said, plastering a smile on her face. Sometimes she can be down to earth and really genuine, but right now I could see that her piercing blue eyes were as hard as rocks. "I just remembered something!"

I out my head in my hands as I prepared for her rant. "Didn't you say you used to take karate? My little brother is interested in all that sweaty pajama fight, and I thought, who would be a better mentor than you!" Donna squealed. I felt my jaw clench at the mention of martial arts. Before I was a popular, I would forever be getting teased about how I took martial arts and how I always went to school in my "pajama" gi. Everyone would mock me and say I was half boy because of it.

Donna wasn't exactly being subtle either. It was pretty obvious what her plan was, based on the way she stared hungrily at the boy sitting next to me. She hopped from one boy to the next, and right now she was in between guys, so all she wanted is probably someone who can keep her bed warm. Her plan was probably to come here and try to "casually" mention that I did "sweaty pajama fight" in front of the boy. Naturally, he would probably be disgusted or scared by that fact and move away, and in Donna would come in and offer a nice spot on her plush bed. And she didn't even know who the boy was.

With her statement in mind, Donna flounced off, no doubt that she was sure that she had secured another boyfriend. He however, didn't seem the least bit disconcerted or fazed with Donna's statement.

"Sorry about that," I apologized, keeping my head down and trying to find out when would be the best time to duck away and scold Donna.

"Hey, it's nothing. I think it's cool that you do martial arts. I did karate for eleven years," he said, as if it was nothing. _That would explain the muscles then._

"Really?" I asked in disbelief, happy that we had something in common.

"Yup. I've been doing it for awhile, and I don't ever wanna stop," he grinned, his white teeth flashing momentarily.

"Huh," was all I could say at the moment.

"Why'd you apologize?" he asked randomly, startling me with his question.

I pondered on that for a moment or so before answering. "Well, not most girls spend most of their afternoons pouring out sweat and flipping each other," I said, and his head cocked slightly to the side while he thought over my phrase.

"But that's just most girls," he reasoned, his light brown eyes showing hints of confusion now.

"Well yeah, most is the key word. Do you think I became best friends with Donna by sticking out and being a wierdo? No, I did it by giving up what wasn't considered cool by most standards. And trust me, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be Donna's friend. But she's popular, so I had to have her as a friend," I explained to him. Jeez, this guy probably wasn't a popular, because if he was, he would know all about the Popular 101 by now.

"But did you love martial arts?" he asked, and I was getting a bit uncomfortable about how personal this conversation was headed towards. I didn't even know the guy's name, and we were already talking about my personal feelings.

Did I love martial arts? "Yeah, I guess I did," I said finally, answering his question.

"So, you gave up what you love just so you could make out with horny guys and have _Donna _as a friend?" he asked in disbelief, and once again, his statement rang another bell in my head. Why did he seem so familiar, and why couldn't I just remember the damn name already!? _This is stupid of me for trying to guess, I should just ask him what his name is. __  
_

I opened my mouth to ask, but he continued on with his speech, not noticing. "Being popular isn't exactly everything. If being friends with Donna annoys you so much, why do you do it?" he asked, his voice soft, his eyes understanding. I didn't answer, because quite honestly, at this moment, any answer I gave him would end up sounding stupid, slutty, and immature, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

"Real friends are people who stick with you no matter what you do. If your friends were real friends, they should've stuck with you if you continued martial arts."

He looked like he was about to say something else and continue with his rant when his phone rang from his back pocket. He glanced at the tiny phone screen and stood up with an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry, I gotta take this."

I could hear his murmurs into the phone as he walked further away, probably seeking a quiet spot to talk to whomever was on the phone with him. I sighed and got up as well, suddenly needing some fresh air at his statement.

The sky outside was a beautiful dark blue, illuminated by stars and a fat moon that took center stage. The streetlights shined brightly, and the sidewalk was completely deserted, no one in my sight. His words rang through my mind as I walked out of the dance and into the fresh night air.

_Real friends are people who stick with you no matter what you do._ _No matter what you do. No matter what you do..._

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice the three tall guys sneak up stealthily and quietly behind me. A hand clasped down on my shoulder, and I whirled around quickly to see who it was.

_Frank and two other Black Dragons. _

On his left was a tall teenager with raven black hair and dark brown eyes, a grimace gracing his face. On Frank's right was a slightly shorter, but more muscular guy with a blonde buzz cut and stormy grey eyes, the sleeves to his Black Dragon jacket rolled up.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little miss I'm-so-popular-I-quit-and-disgraced-the-dojo-to-hang-out-with-other-people," Frank sneered, showing his yellow teeth. _He really needs a breath mint. _

"What do you want, Frank?" I asked, slightly annoyed that they had chosen now to _attempt_ to beat me up.

"What do you want, Frank?" he mocked, his mouth twisting into a sneer. "We're just here to get out revenge," he said, and cracked his knuckles. I laughed at his attempt to scare me, he could never do me any harm. I was always the top black belt in the Black Dragons, and I was sure that it hadn't changed in the years that I had quit. He had repeated the same grade so many times, that he was the only one in our high school that had been driving for three years already.

"Yup, I'm so scared," I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes at them.

I heard some quiet whispering from Frank to his two goons, and I looked up to see the two guys that had accompanied Frank stretching their arms.

Before I could get a word out, I was thrown up against the wall of the school, my head banging into the brick surface and giving me a massive headache.

I rebounded and got up quickly before they could aim another punch at me. I leaped high in the air to aim a spinning kick at them when all of a sudden, I fell to the ground in mid jump. My long dress had tangled around my legs, and I was just sitting on the sidewalk like an idiot while they moved closer. I stood up hastily, realizing that sitting wasn't going to make this fight easier for me.

They were inches away when I reached out and grabbed the nearest thing I could to throw at them, in an lame attempt to ward them away before I had to fight them for real.

A tube of lip gloss.

_Really? Lipgloss? _Frank's hand shot out and caught the lipgloss in midair, and then snickered when he realized what it was. "Lipgloss? Please Kim, even I thought you were better than that."

Carelessly, he threw the tube somewhere away, and I winced slightly as I heard it hit the sidewalk with a loud "crack!"

"Hey, that tube of lipgloss costed me $98!"

The three of them laughed and approached even closer to me. His face landed squarely on my jaw, but not with enough force to break the skin. I reached out to defend myself only to be kicked harshly in the gut by the guy on Frank's left with the dark hair. I doubled over in pain clutching my stomach, where I could all but feel the bruise starting to form on my upper abdomen.

"Ha! And you call yourself a martial artist. You could't even deflect Josh's punch!" Frank sneered, and pointed to the tall raven haired kid whom I assumed was Josh.

I steadied myself carefully, only to be knocked down again by "Josh." He foot connected solidly with my forehead in a high kick, pushing me back as I slumped onto the sidewalk, bruised and helpless.

**. . . . .**

**JACK**

"Alright, I'll call you later Mom. Bye," I said as I hung up my cell phone. I tucked it safely in my pocket and exited the alley when I heard a small moan and a couple laughs emitting from a few meters away. Squinting my eyes, I moved closer, to where it looked like a fight was occurring.

A girl was backed up against the well worn brick wall of the school, surrounded by three guys. I winced as one of the guys' foot connected sharply with her forehead and as she reeled back, dazed from the punch. She was thrown across the sidewalk, slumped down and bruised. Obviously, I would need to help.

As I approached them, I noticed that the girl was wearing a familiar looking white and black dress.

I moved closer, all of them too engaged in the fight to notice me. My eyes widened as I saw who it was slumped against the school.

_Kim?_

**. . . . .**_  
_

**KIM**

I struggled back up, a knot the size of a gold ball on my forehead. My head was pounding furiously inside my skull, and my abdomen ached with sharp and piercing pains. I braced myself against the wall, barely able to keep my balance.

The three of them moved closer again. Frank's fist shot out and was about to connect with my face when a hand came out of nowhere, blocking the punch perfectly.

"You probably shouldn't have done that."

I looked and saw the boy wearing red, his body angled to cover mine. Frank sneered, and aimed another punch, only to blocked by him again. Taking both of Frank's hands, he twisted them behind his back and flipped him, Frank landing with a "plop" a feet away.

Josh didn't seem impressed though. He charged straight at him, only to crash into the wall beside me, having being sidestepped. He slid down and stayed on the floor a few feet away from me, moaning about the impact. Despite the crash, the other blonde with the buzz cut wasn't fazed, and charged. He landed a hit that clipped the side of the boy wearing red's forehead, sending him reeling backwards. Next to me, Josh recovered, and the two of them went straight for the boy still lying down on the sidewalk, completely forgetting about me or Frank.

He popped up quickly before they reached him, much to my relief, and executed an impressive flying kick, kicking them both right in the middle of the gut. The three of them fought furiously while I remained sitting down with my back against the school, in too much pain to move or attempt to help. In the distance, I noticed Frank getting up again and coming over to help with the fight.

The boy in red looked busy enough with two people on his hands, so I doubted he could take three. I had to help him. Slowly, I got to my feet, and was about to cheer in success when the world went blurry around the edges. _And back down I go. _

I glanced over and saw the boy now fending off three of them; including Frank, and he looked like he was doing okay for now. He grabbed ahold of the blonde's head and smashed him onto the sidewalk, where he remained for quite awhile.

"C'mon Erin! Get up!" Frank shouted to the boy on the floor, whom I assumed was "Erin".

While Frank was trying to haul Erin up, the boy in red and the Black Dragon Josh were still fighting, each of them with a few cuts and bruises. The youth had a cut on his upper brow, yet it didn't seem to hinder him in the least bit. His bright red jacket was still on his shoulders, unmarred and pristine despite the punches and attacks against him.

Frank and Erin joined the fight a few minutes later, but they couldn't have done much help. He easily defended himself, and within a matter of moments, all three of them were lying useless on the floor.

The stubbled to get themselves up and brushed themselves off, looking a little humiliated. "Let's go," Frank finally managed after recovering slightly. The Black Dragons limped off, trying to maintain whatever dignity they had left. I smiled, but it was hard seeing that there probably was a massive bruise on my jaw.

The boy in red rushed towards me, checking if I was okay, his eyes showing concern towards my injuries.

"Are you fine?" he asked as the pounding in my head tripled. My stomach felt like it was torn apart and sewed back together, and my jaw was searing. All in all, I felt like I had been run over by a car, and then stitched together again. Red spots danced in front of my vision, and the only thing I was able to do was moan at his question.

"Are you fine?" he asked again, looking even more worried. I opened my mouth to speak when the pain overcame me, swallowing me into the darkness.

**. . . . .**

**A/N: **_Cliffhanger! This chapter was pretty sucky, I don't like it, but I had to post it for you guys!__ I don't have this story planned out, I just wrote what I felt should happen, and hopefully it'll turn okay in the end! As always, you can view the outfits here; www . polyvore . com (/) black_white_red/collection?id=1783618 (remove all the spaces and parenthesis first.)_

___I'm sorry if there are any small grammatical errors, as I'm writing this at 11:30 P.M. while listening to Smile by McFly, because I really needed to get this chapter up and posted for all of you who wanted an update. A few of you probably know by now that I am absolutely obsessed with all things McFly. I think they're amazing, they've been a band for about eight years now! Yup! I just love Danny, Dougie, Tom, and Harry... I don't want to keep you with boring trivia facts my long time favorite British band, so I'd better just shut up now..._

___ The next chapter should be up soon, and chapter 3 is gonna be SUPER long! (well, at least I hope so. I haven't wrote it yet. *Blush) This authors note is already pretty massive, so I'll just wrap it up here. What do you think Jack dropped? What happened to Kim? Will Kick ever get together? Why am I asking so many questions? Please review, I'd love to hear what you thought. I'll try and update soon, until then..._

_Lots of Love!_

_-Alexi :)_


	3. Looking For You

**A/N:** _What up?! So, thanks to the people that did read and review chapter 2, you guys really made my day! I'm so glad to see you guys liked the last chapter, and I didn't want to keep all of you wonderful people waiting, so I just had to update!_

_In some parts of this chapter, it can get a bit confusing with all the time lapses happening, so if you don't understand, just keep on reading and hopefully you'll figure it out. This chapter has so many line breaks and lapses that each paragraph doesn't really tie into the next one, so it is rather a bit hard to comprehend as a whole. My apologies for your troubles! In case anyone was confused, the story's set in around December, and the characters are about 16-17, I'm not sure exactly..._

_This chapter is longer than my usual, as I didn't want to leave any of the details out, so I hope you enjoy it! Geez, this A/N is massive, so without further ado (*cue the dramatic lighting and music)... The disclaimer!_

**Disclaimer:** _*Sniffle. I don't own Kickin' It, unfortunately. If I did, Jack and Kim would have been together for a long time by now...__  
_

**. . . . .**_  
_

_"Some people laugh, some people cry. Some people live, some people die. Some people run, right into the fire._

_Some people hide their every desire."_

_- The Heart Never Lies by McFly_

**. . . . .**

**KIM**

My eyes fluttered open slowly as I awoke, taking in my surroundings as I came to. I was lying down on a soft plush white couch in a room painted a soft beige, with tapestries and paintings hung beautifully from the walls. Soft yellow sunlight streamed in through the opened windows, the room still and silent. The room was a rather plain rectangular shape, with the exception of one slanted wall along the sides about 2 feet wide. The floor was a pristine white and up ahead the bright circular ceiling lights glared down at me.

_The living room._

"Kim? Honey, are you okay?" someone asked, startling me out of my thoughts. My mom came into my line of vision, her honey blonde hair captured in a ponytail and a concerned look on her face. Her wrinkles crinkled slightly at the corners of her eyes as she frowned. I simply nodded in response, not wanting to get her any more worried than she already was.

I gave her a tentative smile and tried to stand up, only to be greeted by a short wave of nauseousness and fall back down onto the couch. My mom rushed towards my outstretched figure and put a hand on my forehead, checking my temperature.

One of her light brown eyebrows raised. "You don't look okay. Maybe we should get you to the hospital," she suggested, her voice laced with concern. I quickly shook my head; the last thing I needed right now were sterile white walls and a hospital bed with an I.V. and doctors asking me about how I felt.

The worried look remained on my mom's face, but she didn't refute my statement. Instead of arguing with me, she got up to her socked feet and said, "I'll go get you some water then."

I nodded slightly as she headed towards the kitchen, her footsteps echoing softy on the marble floors as she walked further away. I was alone now, and I had proper time to see what the damage was.

My head was throbbing mercilessly, and my brain fell like it was trying to explode out of my skull. Small spots danced in front of my vision once again as I gingerly pressed the top of my forehead, wincing in pain at the small movement. My mouth felt as dry as sandpaper, and the coppery taste of blood remained in my throat and mouth. There was a sharp and shooting pain in my jaw, and a rather large ache on the upper part of my stomach. Carefully dragging my dark grey sweatshirt up, I examined the wound.

There was a large purple bruise flowering on my abdomen, the edges of it turned a slightly blueish hue, the skin still very tender. The middle of the bruise was a dark black. As much as it hurt though, this was by far not one of my worst in all the years that I had done karate, so the pain was easier to deal with. I put my head down on the arm of the couch, letting my eyes close momentarily.

A few seconds later, I heard a soft "clink!" as my mom set down a glass of water on the small coffee table, careful as to not disturb me. I shifted slightly, clenching my jaw when I felt the pain shoot up my spine.

My mind spun as I recalled the events that had led to this.

_Donna. Martial arts. Boy. Red. Frank. Black Dragons. Sleep..._

**. . . . .**_  
_

"Kimmy? Kimmy?" a high pitched voice asked. Confused, I turned my head and saw a little toddler with two bright blonde pigtails and a toothy grin. She was wearing a bright blue shirt stained with something that looked suspiciously like ice cream and vanilla pudding, and her breath had the telltale smell of gumdrops. Her round brown eyes shined with childhood glee.

"Hiya Allison," I managed to croak out to my little sister. Her face broke out into an ear to ear grin when I answered, and she reached in for a hug with her chubby little toddler hands. I let out a squeak as her arm hit my abdomen, a concerned look crossing the five year old's face.

Footsteps padded softly into the room as my mom entered, wondering what all the fuss and commotion was about. Allison turned her head to the right to aim a questioning look at her. "Mommy, what's wrong with Kimmy?" Allison asked, tilting her round head to the side as her eyebrows furrowed together. My mom shook her head and faked a smile before answering.

"Nothing. She's just not feeling very well today," she replied, scooping up Allison into her arms. She laughed when she noticed the stains on Allison's shirt and then commented, "It's pretty early honey. Why don't you go back to sleep a little more?"

The two of them exited the room and headed up the stairs, Allison knuckling her eyes and complaining, "But I'm not tired Mommy."

I shifted slightly, noticing that I didn't feel so sore anymore. That had to be a good sign.

A few minutes later my mom came back down to check up on me. "Mom?" I asked hesitantly, getting her attention as she crossed the living room.

"How'd I get from the school to here? And what time is it?" I asked, confused. There was a big empty time space from the time I blacked out to the time I woke up in the living room, and during that time, I had no idea how I could've been moved these twenty miles.

"It's Saturday," my mom checked her watch, "6: 38 A.M., Kim. Some boy dropped you off yesterday night at around 11. He said someone from your old dojo got into a fight with you," she replied, and I was grateful that she wasn't pressing for answers at the moment. I was not in the mood to talk about it, not now, and hopefully not later either. She turned suddenly, as if a thought had occurred to her, "Was that _another _boyfriend of yours?" she asked incredulously with a condescending tone and a raised brow.

Chuckling dryly, I answered, "Nope, he wasn't a boyfriend of mine." As an afterthought, I asked her, "Did he tell you his name?"

This time, it was her turn to shake her head. "I thought he was another one of your friends or something, I didn't bother asking him before he left," she responded, heading to the kitchen. She came back with a white porcelain bowl filled with something that looked and smelled like chicken soup. She handed it to me and then left the room.

I took a few tentative slurps, the warm soup warming up my stomach and throat. Setting the bowl down on the dark brown coffee table by the couch, I made another attempt at standing up. I wobbled at first, and my ankles didn't seem very stable at the time, but I finally was vertical and standing straight. I lifted my arms above my head in a cheer when something fell down from my lap, landing on the marble floor with a soft "ping!"

Bending down carefully, I picked it up to see what it was. At first, it appeared to only be a glint of metal, until I held it up in my palm in front of my eyes.

On closer examination, I saw that it was in fact ring. It was a wide and plain silver band, the colour a bit worn off by rubbing and wear. Engraved on the inside were two letters; J.A., written rather crudely, as if it had been carved._  
_

_J.B.?_ _Who's that?_

J.B., huh? The first thing that came to mind was either Justin Bieber or the Jonas Brothers. Laughing it off, I returned the ring to the table besides me before realization dawned slowly in my min. My breath caught in my throat when a thought occurred to me, a million different ideas running through my head, yet only one stuck as it echoed again and again.

It probably was _his _ring.

Tucking it safely into the pocket of my loose light blue sweatpants, I lay back down, exhausted from the small effort of standing. My thoughts were racing as my eyes snapped shut and sleep overcame me.

_J.B._

**. . . . .**_  
_

**JACK**

I was lying down on my bed with red and black beats covering my ears when my mom pushed the door open and entered. I flashed her an absentminded smile as I bopped my head to the beat.

I saw her mouth something, but I had the music on so loud that I could't hear her at all. Letting my headphones dangle around my neck, I asked, "What's up mom?"

"I just wanted to check up on you. You came back awfully late yesterday," she commented, taking my iPod and thumbing the pause button.

I shrugged simply, "Ya know, high school parties," I lied, not wanting to tell her the truth about what really happened. She smiled at my comment and handed me back my iPod, mussing my hair slightly in the process. Her eyebrows crinkled and a look of worry crossed her face.

"What's wrong?"

She gingerly brushed aside my long bangs, revealing a long and shallow healing cut from which I had gotten yesterday. "What happened?" she asked, concern seeping into her voice.

_Shoot._

I attempted a humorous smile. "I might have got into a small fight?" I muttered, looking up hopefully with big eyes. The frown on her face remained, but I could see that she felt a little better at my attempt to lighten the situation.

"I'm not even going to ask anymore," she replied, looking worn down at my admission. "But the next time you get into a fight, I'm dragging your butt into your room and locking away all electronics for a month, understood?" she scolded, shaking a disapproving finger at me, an eyebrow raised.

I raised my hand to my forehead in a salute. "Aye aye captain," I mocked, a full smile now crossing her face. My mom stood up from the bed and left the room, pausing halfway to blow me a kiss.

Shaking my head, I returned to my playlist with a smile on my face, chuckling for no apparent reason at her unexpected reaction. That smile however, was completely wiped off my face when I realized...

My ring was gone.

It didn't really have any deep emotional story behind it; my mom just gave it to me one day because she thought it would look nice. I had been wearing that ring for three years, to the point where I even wore it in the shower at times. I was pretty attached to it even though it was only a thick band of silver, when I was fourteen I had engraved my initials into it with a paring knife to prove that it was mine.

Setting my headphones aside, I crouched on the dark wood floor, scanning the room for a flash of familiar metal that might've fallen off while I had stumbled in half asleep yesterday night.

_Nothing._

Getting back up and leaning against my bed post, I rubbed my temples. This was just great.

Sighing, I shook my head and headed down the stairs to check, trying to think of any possible place I could've left it.

Where was it?

**. . . . .**

**KIM**

The beams and rays of light filtered through my closed eyelids, forcing them open slowly. Groggily, I turned onto my side, looking blearily at the clock with it's little flashing neon green digits.

_7: 33 A.M._

I flung my arms over my eyes, wincing a bit as it hit the fading bruise on my forehead as I recounted all the events I had been forced to endure over the weekend. My Sunday had been filled with hectic trips to the doctor's office, and after a thorough examination, I was deemed healthy and fit enough to go to school again. I received some pain relievers with antibiotics, and the doctor said the bruises on my face were relatively small, so they would heal in about a week's time. The one on my upper abdomen however, was a bit more severe, and he said that it would take about three weeks to get better. Before I knew it, my weekend was over, and with the bright Monday morning sun came the reality of school and questions.

Didn't mean I wanted to go though.

Standing up with a huff and a groan, I walked over to my dresser and closet to decide what to wear. After some debate, I threw on a red asymmetric ruffled spaghetti strap tank top with bright neon yellow jeans with small studded pockets. As an afterthought, I also put on a long sleeved bleached white denim crop jacket, in an attempt to hide the abrasions decorating my arms. I finished the look off with a pair of large diamond stud earrings.

Giving my outfit one final nod of approval as I looked down at it, I walked into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, spatting out the toothpaste bitterly. My head lifted as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, a grimace crossing my face.

There was a healing yellowish bruise on the side of my forehead, as well as a rather small purple bruise on the right side of my jaw. On my arms and legs were multiple small cuts and abrasions from the sidewalk, and if I lifted my shirt up, I could see the large blue and black bruise that still graced my stomach. My eyes had bags under them from stress and lack of sleep, giving them a sunken in quality. My tan had lightened up, and on some spots I was a horrible pasty colour.

I looked terrible.

Grabbing my concealer hurriedly, I applied generous amounts in an attempt to cover up the already heightened imperfections. None of my friends knew about what happened, and the last thing I wanted was to have to explain to them about the whole fight, from the very beginning. I swiped on mascara and applied a thick coat of a glossy nude peach lisp gloss. I re-powdered my face once more and gave myself a one over.

I looked... Normal. The extensive amount of concealer and powder did cause a bit of caking on my face though, but I would be fine as long as no one looked too closely. I headed to the kitchen to grab a quick bite. Wiping the last crumbs off of my mouth, I slung my book bag over my shoulders and headed once again to grab one last thing before I left.

_His _ring.

The free weekend had given me plenty of time to ponder on that fact. By now, I was almost completely sure that the ring had to belong to the boy wearing red, who else's would it be? Taking the band of metal from my bureau, I slipped it into a pocket of my backpack.

I exited the house, screaming, "I'm going to school Mom!" before climbing into my car.

Revving the engine, I put my foot down slowly on the gas pedal. The ride to school was a quick and pleasant one, the December air fresh and chilly on my makeup covered face. The frost was thick and heavy, and although the snow had yet to come, my breath still came out in puffs of fog against the cold air. Dropping my car keys into the pocket of my neon jeans, I entered the school, and was immediately greeted by Grace, Donna, and Kelsey at the worn down entry way, the same place where _it _had happened.

I suppressed a shudder, hoping that they wouldn't notice.

"Hey Kim!" Donna exclaimed, looping her arm around mine and Kelsey's. I flashed a smile at her.

"Hey Donna," I replied as her glossy blue high heels clicked across the waxed floor. People milled and moved away right as we neared, not wanting to bother us in the least bit.

"Where were you yesterday? I thought the four of us were supposed to do our weekly shopping spree on Sunday, but you never showed up," Kelsey say, looking at me from Donna's left quizzically. I mentally smacked myself on the forehead, trying to think quickly of an answer before they got suspicious.

"I- ah- I- I had a orthodontist's appointment yesterday for like the entire afternoon. I totally forgot about it, and I couldn't ditch it," I quickly fibbed, struggling to keep my voice even. Donna and Kelsey each shot me a sympathetic look, but I could tell than Grace wasn't entirely convinced.

Luckily, before she could question me about it, the first period bell rang. "I gotta hop!" I said, and with that, Donna and I departed towards the bio room across the school.

It was the same as always; the same cheap lighting, the same teacher, even the same putrid smell on the inside. The two of us took our seats next to each other at a lab table as Mr. Reeds walked to the whiteboard in the front, fresh black Expo marker in hand. His thick round glasses glinted against the light as he started his speech.

I saw his lips move, but I didn't hear anything except a buzzing drone, as per usual. It didn't really matter anyways, knowing Mr. Reeds, it probably was something trivial and unimportant, like about molecules and plants or something like that.

_Lame!_

Turning my head to the right, my eyes locked with another pair of brown eyes, slightly obscured by a mop of brown hair. There was a pencil in his hand and he seemed to be busily jotting down notes, checking the clock from time to time.

_Jack._

He gave me a small smile when he noticed me and then lowered his head, breaking the eye contact to go back to his notes.

I couldn't help but smile a little to myself, even if I didn't know why.

**. . . . .**

_RIIIING!_

The bell's shrill ring sliced through the air as school came to an end for the day. Packing my books and binders into my book bag, I scurried out of the classroom and met up with Grace, Donna, and Kelsey in the hall as we headed towards the exit of the school. Chatter was going through the halls as we spoke.

"So Donna, did you have fun at the ball on Friday?" Kelsey pipped up. Donna nodded in reply, a mischievous glint in her pale blue eyes, her tanned cheeks flushing slightly. Kelsey turned her head towards me afterward, her long chestnut hair flipping over her shoulder as she opened her mouth.

"What happened to you Kim? You missed the second half of the party, we were looking all over for you!" she exclaimed suddenly. I quickly plastered a smile on my face, and let out a small strangled cough. "My mom doesn't like me to stay out too late." I scratched the back of my neck and turned my face away from them for a moment.

Donna raised a brow at me and scoffed. "You are so unlucky. My mom is like, never home half the time, so she didn't know what I was doing that night..." she trailed off, and I had a feeling I already knew that her Friday night was probably filled with sweat and moans.

Suddenly, Kelsey's phone beeped, indicating a text and interrupting our albeit awkward conversation. I was more than happy to drop the subject at hand. Kelsey scanned over the text quickly and then smiled. "Donna, your mom said you have to come over to my house since your dad's hosting some kind of big work dinner at your house," Kelsey read, looking up at her.

She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and then grinned. "Oh well. We'd better be going to your house then. Toodles you guys!" Donna waved as she and Kelsey headed towards the parking lot. I waved and smiled back when Grace suddenly tugged at my arm, the two of us heading towards the library.

Grace sat down at a oak table once inside and motioned for me to sit down next to her. Befuddled, I did as I was told, not knowing what she wanted. I swung my book bag over the back of my chair as she began to talk.

"Spill it," she said, looking straight at me. Confused, I asked her, "Spill what?"

Feigning a look of annoyance and anger, Grace answered, "What happened on Friday night? You know, after the party."

My throat went dry at her question, and without answering her, I took out my water bottle and took a big chug, wanting to postpone the inevitable for as long as possible. Cold water filled my cheeks as I looked at her helplessly, my eyes wide and my shoulders shrugging.

Sighing, Grace yanked the water bottle out of my hand, my mouth still full of water.

"Seriously Kim," she said again, "You never leave early from a party, especially without telling us first. You kept on lying to all of us too! And then you didn't answer when I texted you yesterday. I was beginning to worry that you'd gotten pregnant or something. Or you were like a secret Russian undercover agent working for the FBI and CIA."

I whipped my hand in front of my mouth in shock, preventing me from spewing out a fine mist of water and doing a spit take on Grace's outfit. "What?" I asked as soon as I had swallowed. My eyes were probably bulging out of their sockets and the size of dinner plates.

Grace laughed at my reaction, her giggled echoing throughout the quiet library. "Kidding!" Her face straightened up, and all traces of humor where gone as she once again repeated, "What happened?"

A thousand thoughts scattered in my head like a colony of ants. "Well, uh- you see- monkeys- and uh-spiders! And then this really big- uh... Chocolate chip cookie that ate us!" I spit out, not knowing what the hell I was saying. Grace lifted a brow and pursed her lips, her feet tapping against the floor in impatience.

I realized than I wasn't going to be able to dodge her questions for much longer, so after making sure no one was around, I took off my cropped white jacket, revealing little scratches I had gotten from landing on the sidewalk on my arms. Over the weekend, they had scabbed up slightly, giving my elbows and small patches on my arms a ghastly scale-like appearance

Grace's bright pink lips formed a perfect "o" in shape. Wordlessly, she grabbed my arms, looking at them as if she had never seen them before. It was a major thing for us to even have a single blemish, so the fact that my arms were in such horrendous shape probably terrified her.

"Start from the beginning," she demanded, her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion and anger. "Everything."

"But-"

"Everything Kim! I wanna know what happened. From the beginning."

I sighed, deicing that in the end she did deserve to know the truth. "It all started when Kelsey dared me to go over to the boy who was wearing red's table..."

**. . . . .**

"And now I'm trying to figure out who J.B. is," I finished off as Grace looked at the silver band in wonder. She raised her head and her mouth opened, but befre she spoke I interjected her, already knowing what she was thinking.

"No, it DOES NOT belong to Justin Bieber, okay Grace?"

Half an hour had gone by; Grace wanted to know everything that happened, and she was constantly interrupting me for such tiny details. I told her the conversation from start to ending, except I left out the whole "friends" thing he had said, because it didn't really seem like the best time to bring that up.

The small piece of metal fit perfectly in Grace's palm. The light bounced off the ring, emitting a small glint. I had brought it with me just in case anyone would come up to me and claim it, and right now Grace was busy fondling it.

She looked up slowly. "Besides the fact that you got beat up, I have to say you were really lucky in meeting this "J.A." guy," she commented, giving the ring back to me. I slipped it back into a special pouch in my book bag and turned my attention back to her.

I smiled at her comment. "Yeah, I guess so too."

_Silence._

An idea lit up in Grace's eyes as she snapped her long and manicured fingers, "How about I help you find your mystery guy?" she asked, looking apprehensive and breaking the quietness. I cocked my head to the side as I thought about it carefully.

"Okay," I said slowly, "But I don't want anything like morning announcements asking if you know who he is. Maybe something low key, something no one would know about," I told her, tying my hair up with a dark blue scrunchie.

A smile crossed her face. "Got it. No announcements, secretive... So, can I be like a spy?" Grace asked.

"Sure, like a spy," I answered, happy at her idea. My phone beeped as I received a text, the sound slightly muffled by the cloth of my book bag.

_Hi honey. Where are you? I'm home already. -Mom_

I gave Grace an apologetic smile as I stood up. "Sorry, I got to go. Maybe we can talk about this in private later?"

"Sure," she beamed. Smiling back at her, I slung my book bag overly shoulders and exited the library, heading towards the parking lot. My red BMW chirped when I unlocked it, and I slid in comfortably into the driver's seat.

During the drive, I should feel the chill in the air and the anticipation of heavy snow, as it was December. Giddily, I opened the door, and was greeted by a smiling and concerned looking mom.

"Kim! How are you? Are you feeling okay? Do you think we need to take you to the doctors? Do-"

I raised my hand and cut off any more of the questions that she had. "I'm fine mom, really," I sighed. She gave me a worn down grin and patted me on the shoulder, turning around to go back to the den, shooting me a smile on the way. I carefully removed my book bag off of my shoulders and hefted it onto the floor, walking to my room in the process.

I lay down onto my bed, utterly and completely tired from the long school day.

Frost and fog was beginning to accumulate on my windows, the climate slowly dropping outside. The air inside the house was a warm and comfortable temperature, and I kicked off my shoes as I leaned back onto the headboard, drifting off.

**. . . . .**_  
_

The rest of the school days were a foggy blur of makeup, J.B., Grace's questions, and school work. Before I knew it, it was Friday again. Donna, Kelsey, Grace and I were in lunch sitting at the "cool" table, chatting amicably amongst each other.

"And then I was like, excuse me? Ugh, the nerve that sales woman had right?" Donna exclaimed, looking at us for confirmation.

"Mmhmm," I muttered back absentmindedly as I bit into my turkey sandwich. My mind was on other things at the moment.

Grace and I had spent the entire week "examining" different guys from behind the lockers, and so far none of them fit the criteria. It was getting quite annoying, and my head was racing at all the possible people it could be.

It was easier once we had narrowed it down though to only the guys who were tall and had brown hair with brown eyes.

_"You don't know that Kim. He could've been blonde and wearing a wig. Or he could_'ve _had green eyes and worn contacts," _a little voice nagged in the back of my head.

"Shut up!" I exclaimed, and the three of their heads turned towards me. I stumbled over my words as I apologized, "Not you Donna. I just- the whole upcoming math test has gotten me all crazy!" I joked, feigning a laugh. Grace, Kelsey, and Donna laughed along with me, and when Donna or Kelsey weren't looking, I shot Grace a discreet wink and a thumbs up. She snorted in laughter at my attempt at "discreetness" and covered her mouth with her hand to stop the giggles before Donna or Kelsey got suspicious.

"So Kim, you excited for winter break?" Grace asked conversationally. I nodded vigorously at her question. "I can't wait! I can't believe we've only got like one or two more weeks of school left!" I exclaimed, putting my enthusiasm in my voice. I couldn't wait for a break, it was really just what I needed.

"Are you going going anywhere?" Kelsey questioned as she took a bite out of her green salad. I swallowed a gulp of turkey and lettuce on rye before answering. "Nope, I think I'm staying in Seaford."

"You going anywhere?" I asked, taking a sip of my ice water.

Kelsey nodded, her brown wavy hair bobbing along with her face. "I'm going to New York," she gushed, flipping her locks over her shoulder dramatically. Donna added in, "I'm going to Quebec," she said, a smirk on red painted lips. I nodded at them, continuing to plow through my lunch silently while they talked.

"And then I was like; maroon, mauve, or purple? A girl shouldn't have to make those decisions when it come to nail polish colour, it is just so hard to pick when-"

Across the lunch room a loud "Whoo!" resonated and echoed through the cafeteria air. Turning slightly, I saw a group of people huddled together a few tables away. One of them was wearing a bright orange beanie, and was currently talking in mad rapid spanish while a short and rather stout African American laughed along. A familiar face was sitting across from them, gesturing something with his hands.

"Don't pay attention to them," Donna scoffed, turning the conversation back to her nails.

I turned back around, trying to ward off a nagging feeling that I was missing something important.

**. . . . .**

I was in my room surfing the web when there was a soft knock on the door. "Come in!" I hollered. Grace entered, a notebook in her hand. She was wearing a gray crop top with the words, "DON'T Go With The Flow," vibrant red jeans, pink Uggs, silver bangles, salmon pink lipgloss, and a black slouchy beanie on her head. Her hair was straightened as usual and there was an accomplished smile on her face.

"Grace? What're you doing here?" I asked, confused and getting up. She beamed. "I'm here to help you with J.A. We didn't get a chance to talk all week 'cause of Donna, but I figured I would stop by now," she said, sitting down on my bed.

"Sure, lets see what you've got," I said as I sat down next to her. Honestly, I was hoping that in the past week someone would come up and reveal them self, but alas no one did. Grace was my "spy" during school, she'd just go around and try to see who she thought would be J.A. We didn't tell anyone about it, because Grace was sure a bunch of random guys would start lining up at my locker if we did, and the last thing I needed was interrogating every boy in the school.

"I made a list of all the boys in our school who's initials are J.B., and have long brown hair and brown eyes," she said, handing me her notebook. Hundreds of names were crowded up on the page.

"Wow, that's a lot," I told Grace, looking up at her. She nodded, "I didn't want to exclude anyone."

_Joseph Benward  
__James Billark  
__Jake Beprook  
__Jack Brewer  
__Jeff Belard  
__Jay Biff  
__Josh Bkyad  
__Japser Bhinja  
__Justin Blue  
__Jason Bequen  
__Jeremy Blin  
__John Billard  
__Jacob Bamds  
__Jace Banij  
Jaime Ben-Stenevens  
Jamison Bilsed  
Jarred Balid  
Jean-Luc Biloudea  
Jefferson Blinkers  
Jimmy Blemist  
Joe Bimla..._

The list went on and on and on and on. I got cross eyed from reading all the names eventually, and millions of little thoughts were floating in my head.

I threw down the pad in frustration. "At this rate, I might as well just resort to the posters," I huffed. Normally, I wouldn't have spent so much time going after one guy, but I felt I owed whoever it was, and I couldn't thank someone if I didn't even know their name. And even if I never would admit it even to myself, he had changed my perspective. On a lot of things.

"We'll find him. It's pretty hard to miss a "ninja", he'll show up eventually" Grace soothed and teased, glancing at her list once again.

A tiny spark started to grow at her statement about the word ninja. "Wait a minute!" I exclaimed as an idea lit up in my head.

"That list is just of boys who's initials are J.B. and have brown hair with brown eyes right?" I asked. She nodded. "We can try to narrow it down to the guys who do martial arts!" I said, face palming for not thinking of it earlier.

"But how do we know if or if not they do martial arts?" she asked, my beautiful plan crumbling to pieces at her question.

"I didn't think about that."

**. . . . .**

After nearly an hour of planning, we still were no closer than we were before. At this point in time, I seriously was debating a bullhorn or megaphone, because of the progress we had made.

Zero.

Nada.

Zilch.

Nothing.

I flopped down on my bed, defeated and drained.

**. . . . .**

**A/N:** _Whoo! This entire chapter was 6,264+ words, pretty long for a chapter, but there might be even longer ones in the future! Hopefully you guys enjoyed this extremely detailed chapter as much as I had fun writing it. As the story progresses, hopefully my chapters will become a bit longer than the previous ones, so you guys have more to read! Just to clarify, the reason why Jack hasn't told Kim about anything yet is because he thought that she didn't really care about what happened. He hasn't said anything yet because he doesn't know that Kim is looking for him, because she never publicly announced it to the school (Wow, that explanation was really confusing.) But he will know soon...__  
_

_Once again, and as always, I have the outfits posted on my polyvore account and the link on my profile as well as here; www . polyvore . com (/) black_white_red/collection?id=1783618 (remove all the spaces and parenthesis first). You can go check that out now if you want to!_

_On another note, school has recently begun for me. This year is going to be pretty hectic since I'm taking 3 A.P.'s with honors courses, along with softball and guitar practice. If things get to busy with my schedule and all, I might have to put this fan fiction on hiatus if I feel that I don't have the drive or inspiration for it anymore. I'll try and squeeze it in though, just 'cause you guys are so amazing!_

_So please please please get those reviews in, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the story so far, and how you would like it to progress. Stay awesome you guys! (*Hands out brownies.) Hopefully I'll be back with an update soon, but until that time arrives..._

_Lots of Love!_

_-Alexi :)_


	4. Revealed

**A/N:** _Holy... duck ponds! Twenty two reviews! You guys are so so so so so amazing (emphasis on the SO!)._

_I had a little free time in my schedule, so I decided that I just had to write another chapter for this story! I still have my chemistry project to do, but I'm procrastinating and writing for you instead, 'cause well... Science is boring._

_*Drumroll please!_

**Disclaimer:** _I, Alexi, or Remember-Every-Moment (Previously known as GoldenEyes19382), do not own Kickin' It. But could I, pretty pwease? With a cherry on top?_

**. . . . .**

___"So hold me close and say three words (I love you) like you used to do, dancing on the kitchen tiles._

___It's all about you."_

___- It's All About You by McFly_

**. . . . .**_  
_

**KIM**

The weekend passed by to no avail. Grace and I bribed the security guard and tried checking the school security footage cameras in the auditorium to see if we could get a glimpse of the boy wearing red's face or his friends, but the cameras were so old, all I could see were gray blobs moving across the screen in slow-mo.

We tried cross referencing what we knew with pictures from the year book, but my memory of the night was slightly fuzzy from the beating up and passing out. All I could remember was that he had slightly wavy brown hair that fell a little below his jawline, but I couldn't even correctly remember his eye color. It could've been brown, or hazel, or even really dark grayish blue now that I thought of it! With every passing day, my memory was starting to slip a little more.

I even called every dojo in town for a list of their students. It didn't work well though, because the only answer that I got was that they couldn't disclose personal information.

And I could hardly just barge into every guy's house and check their closet to see if they had a red blazer and a gold mask.

So Monday came around the corner once again, with no progress on finding the boy in red. The morning started out normally; I woke up, brushed my teeth, and got dressed like usual. I put on a ruffled mint green tank top with a dark gray off-shoulder long sleeve cropped shirt on top to cover the almost completely healed scabs that were scattered sparingly along my forearms, and a pair of dark wash denim skinny jeans. I finished off the look with a pair of square cut black diamond earrings, nude colored ballerina flats, and a quick swipe of concealer to conceal the fading yellow bruise near my jaw.

When I was satisfied with how I looked, I headed towards the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat. I ate breakfast, did a quick breath sniff test, and after popping two small sticks of "Minty Forest Frosters" gum into my mouth, drove to school afterwards like any other day. I clambered out of my BMW and carefully closed the spoor as I headed towards the entrance of the school, unprepared for what lay ahead.

As soon as I entered, I could tell something was up. There was obvious tension and anticipation, which wasn't unusual or new to Seaford high, but you could tell that people were waiting for something to happen. Something important.

I just didn't know I was what they were waiting for.

When I walked into the freshly waxed halls, the first thing I was greeted by was a crowd of boys that came up to me, their both high and low pre- and post- puberty voices overlapping as they all struggled to speak at once. All of their hands were shoved out towards me, and I had to admit, it felt more than a little bit uncomfortable with all the squished faces invading my personal space.

"So Kim I heard-"

"I'm the one!"

"It was-"

"Me!"

"You talked to me!"

"No! I did!"

"Kim, I-"

"I was the one you were with at the ball!"

Confused, my eyebrows wrinkled at their statements. I had no clue about what was happening, or why it was happening.

I finally found my answer to both questions though, when I looked at the large beige cement wall of the hall. There were at least five different red posters hanging about a few feet apart, the writing printed in a bold neon green that popped out against the bright red background. Walking up closer, I scanned through the text.

_Are you Kim Crawford's mystery guy from "The Black and White Ball__?"_

_Fill out these forms below and submit them to Grace West by the end of the week._

_Could you be the one?_

Underneath the posters were several forms, asking for the full name, age, hair colour, eye colour, hobbies, and personalities of the person. I could see that already half of the forms appeared to be taken and gone, and my thoughts scrambled like a colony of ants as I read over the poster once again.

I felt a mixture of anger and confusion boil as I ripped a form from the wall, my nails digging into the paper in frustration, ripping and shredding it slightly in the process.

This was supposed to be a secret.

At first I wondered who would even post up these posters, and then I face palmed when I realized that the answer was in front of me. I read over the _to Grace West _on the second line of the paper, my eyes narrowing as my jaw clenched.

The reason why I was mad wasn't because she had put up the posters, but rather because I had specifically told her, and made her _promise _that she wouldn't take anything into her own hands without my consent, as it was my personal and private life at stake here.

Paper still in hand, I turned around, stomping off in search of Grace. I peeked my head into her homeroom class to see if she was there, quickly discovering that she wasn't, and probably was out roaming the halls. Leaning back out, I walked further into the hallways, where I was intercepted by a small, petite, and slightly nerdy looking redhead.

In no mood to chit chat, I snapped, "Have you see Grace West?"

She took a minute to gather her bearings, as she probably was shocked that _I _had talked to her, much less even acknowledged her, before shaking her head slowly, her wide blue eyes dilated behind her framed glasses, the freckles scattered sporadically on her nose and cheeks looking darker as her fair complexion paled.

"Uggh!" Groaning, I turned away from the girl, my book bag bouncing harshly on my back as I walked off again, certain to give a certain "innocent looking"-triangular faced-back stabbing-brown eyed-fake spray tanned-brunette a piece of my mind.

I rounded a corner huffily and promptly bumped into _her. _Grace stood in front of me, her expression startled at the no doubt barbaric look of anger on my face. She was holding several forms in her right hand in a manilla filing folder and her face was a merry red flushed colour, her lips a merry red pink as well.

I wasn't feeling merry. At all.

Her eyes shined as she opened her mouth to speak. "Kim! I figured out a way to find him!" she exclaimed, shoving the stuffed folder in my hands. My eyes widened in annoyance at her, and I could feel my jaw clenching again as a muscle in my cheek busily worked itself.

I opened my mouth to scold her when a tall guy, probably around six feet with blonde hair and perfect green eyes stopped right next to us.

"I have the application filled out," he stated, handing it to Grace. She smiled and tucked it into her folder, shooing him off with a small wave of her hand. "So?" she asked, oblivious to my fuming.

I grabbed her wrist tightly and yanked her into the girl's bathroom a few feet away. After checking that no one was in any of the stalls or near by in earshot, I threw my hands up in the air, and let out a small and strangled sound.

"Grace!" I yelled, my voice echoing off the white and pink tiles of the walls and floor.

"What?" she asked, confused, her pixie like sculpted face tilting a few degrees to her left. I waved the form that was still clutched tightly in my hand in front of her face, my lips pursed.

I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, waiting for an explanation.

Grace sighed and then gave me a look, one brown waxed eyebrow raised in my direction. "You said the other day, 'We might as well resort to the posters,' when we didn't make any progress," Grace answered, setting the filing folder on the counter as she rested a hand on the imitation granite, staring at me as if _I _was the one at fault.

"I didn't actually mean it! Have't you ever heard of sarcasm?" I said, rolling my eyes. There was more than a hint of urgency in my voice, and after taking a few deep and calming breaths, I said, "I thought we agreed to keep this small."

This time it was Grace's turn to scoff. "Why are you stressing out about this? This is the perfect way! Not a lot of people know that your mystery guy is supposed to be the guy in red, and no one except from you, me, and whoever they guy is himself knows that his initials are or related to J. A. All we have to do is review these forms, and who ever fills the criteria is him! Trust me, by the end of the week we'll know for sure who your mystery guy is," Grace convinced as she finished off her rant, ticking off the last reasons on her finger nails.

I let out a groan and a loud un-lady like snort as the two of us walked back out of the bathroom, Grace with a smug smirk on her face knowing that she had won the argument for the time being. We had just stepped back down into the hallway when three guys came up to us, and each handed even _more _"applications" to Grace. She gave them a grin and then neatly clipped them together with a large heavy duty binder clip, sliding them into her hot pink Jansport book bag.

"See? It's perfect!"

**. . . . .**

The school day dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. So far Grace had gotten dozens of forms, and the day was just barely half way over. Sighing, I pushed the straps of my book bag further up my shoulders as I walked through the halls. I finally had a free period, and that meant 52 minutes of pure bliss and no distractions...

And studying.

My thoughts were interrupted by yet another chorus of voices from guys as I walked by quickly, all of them struggling to get my attention at once. Groaning inwardly towards myself, I cast my eyes downward and tried to ignore the boys' shouts from all different direction, all of them trying to say "It's me!" Sometimes I wondered, _where people actually that desperate to lie?_

I continued walking with my head down until I bumped into someone, causing my books that were held in the crook of my elbow to go spilling out to the floor. Exasperated, I bent down to pick up my binder when a larger and more calloused one held it out to me before I could reach it.

My eyes traveled up a long and _very _nicely toned physique as I looked to see who it was. Jack was crouching down in front of me, holding my pink binder with the words "Sassy" inscribed on it out towards me. Flashing a small smile at him in gratefulness, I reached out and plucked it neatly from his grasp.

"Thanks," I said, pursing my lips together, nodding for no apparent reason.

"No problem." The grin that graced his face was wide and genuine, and for some reason it made me feel all warm inside, kinda like how I felt when my grandma used to prepare me a cup of hot chocolate in our vacation lodge in Quebec. Rocking back and forth on my heels, I asked, "So, what're you doing now, since it's free period and all that stuff, you know."

Mentally, I faceplamed. Why was I even trying to strike up a conversation with him? I had to admit though, a small part of me wanted to get to know him better, because even though I was a total bitch to him two weeks ago, he had still helped me with the project, rather than letting me fail. And the sense of moral that I had was urging me to get to know him a bit better.

But seriously, of all the things I could've said, I decided to end my sentence with _and all that stuff? _

Jack shrugged casually. "Eh. I never really plan to do anything during "all that stuff" ya know," he replied cheekily, mocking me, a small dimple flashing momentarily at the corner of his mouth.

A scoff crossing my lips, I slapped him lightly in the side of his left arm as the both of us stood up, unconsciously moving to stand next to each other. I heard him mutter something under his breath as we walked, rubbing his forearm slightly.

"Excuse me?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Nothing."

"Much better."

**. . . . .**

"And that's why flamingos are pink. At least, I think that's why," I finished off, wringing my hands together and smiling in satisfaction at the tall brunet boy sitting across from me. Jack and I were sitting on a bench outside, his legs outstretched while I sat criss-cross apple sauce in front of him, my books spilling out onto the hot tar from my unzipped book bag.

The two of us had actually managed to make a conversation out of my completely and utterly stupid beginning sentence, and had ended up spending the majority of our free period talking, getting to know him a bit better. Occasionally, a popular would pass by and shoot me odd and questioning glances for talking to him, but at the moment, I didn't really care. If worse came to worse, I could always just lie to the rest of the populars and said he owed me something that I needed back from him.

Jack opened his mouth to say a no doubt witty comeback to my explanation of flamingos when someone came up to us, his long shadow blocking our light. He was about 5' 5", with dark brown hair and stunningly electric blue eyes. I recognized him vaguely from my math class, but I could't quite peg what his name was.

"Do you need something?" I asked, traces of annoyance seeping into my voice.

He handed me a piece of paper and smiled before walking off, all without saying a word. Confused, I glanced down and scanned it once, quickly recognizing the form that Grace had tacked up to "help" me earlier.

Annoyed, I crumpled it into a tiny ball and threw it into the near by trash can, missing and having it bounce off with a soft "ping!"

"You okay?" Jack asked, looking slightly worried at my angered expression. Forcing myself to smooth the crinkle in between my eyebrows and calm my scrunched up mouth, I said, "Yeah, nothing big. Just another stupid form."

"Form? What do you mean?" The brunet cocked his head to the side, a look of befuddlement flitting momentarily across his face. My eyes widened at his question.

"You haven't seen the applications?" My lips pressed together. Grace had hung up those things practically everywhere, and I was surprised that he hadn't noticed them at all yet.

Jack shook his head, the mop of dark brown hair settling down perfectly in place around his head once again. "Why? Are the forms for school or something? What are they?"

Chuckling in amusement, I answered, "Nothing big. You don't need to worry about it." Jack seemed like a nice guy, and the last thing I needed was to burden him with my personal problems. If anyone knew guys, it was me. You start talking about love, feeling, PMS, hormones, or other guys, and they instantly zone out. SO instead, I lied and shook my head, reassuring him it was nothing.

Jack looked like he wanted to say something more, but the bell rang before a word slipped out of his mouth.

"See you later!"

**. . . . .**

** JACK**

Disgusting.

Mutilated.

Horrid.

Unnatural.

Awful.

There weren't nearly enough words to describe the cafeteria lunch food in Seaford High.

I was sitting down at our usual circular lunch table, poking what was in front of me in a black styrofoam tray. It was what _appeared _to be "mystery meat," covered in lumps of chunky brownish gray gravy, a putrid scent that smelled suspiciously like plastic, burnt rubber, and lasagna wafting from it and into my nostrils. On the side of the tray were strangely colored pink and dull green beans, along with a carton of watered down milk that I had just opened.

Wrinkling my nose in disdain, I shoved the tray to the side when I heard three people plop down next to me. A certain black haired latino was busily streaming off long lines of incomprehensible spanish while Eddie just nodded along, although the glassy look in his eyes made it clear that he didn't understand a word. Milton's face was buried in a book, his eyes glued to the pages and his nose touching the well worn cover.

I smiled in greeting, and got a few mumbled back responses from them. However, the very first words to come out of Jerry's mouth aimed towards me weren't something stupid as I had expected, like why a "Kiai" couldn't be removed with surgery, but rather something that turned my whole day upside down at the time.

"Did you hear about Kim Crawford's mystery dude?"

Watered down milk stopped half way down my throat as I hacked once into my hand at his sudden statement, one that I certainly hadn't been expecting. I set down the small carton and cleared my throat before asking, "What?"

Jerry simply handed me a bright red flyer and a form, his head bopping to the beat of music that was blasting its way through his dark navy earplugs. I extended my arm and took the two papers, my eyes scanning quickly over them,

_Full Name : _

_Interests/Hobbies :_

_Outfit Worn to The Masquerade Ball (For confidential purposes) :_

_Eye Color :_

_Hair Color :_

_Height : _' and _"_

_Weight : _ _ _ pounds_

_Birthday: _ _ / _ _ / _ _ _ __

_Please completely and accurately fill out and return this form to Grace West by the end of the week._

Thoughts scrambled in my head as I set down the papers beside my tray. Is this what Kim was talking about earlier? It certainly seemed like it, although I couldn't fathom why this would get her all stressed out. But what did she mean by "mystery guy?" Or more likely, who?

Surely it wasn't me?

I mean, I spoke to Kim all of once during the whole ball, and she could've meant anyone in the poster. Plus, the way that she avoided the subject earlier when we had talked earlier, I could tell it wasn't something she wanted to share with me.

Right?

Shaking my head and faking a small smile, I handed the papers back to Jerry. "Cool," was all I said, nodding towards the form and flyer. The conversation trailed off into random things as they disputed over who's shoes were nicer, and why they didn't put springs in the soles of Nikes so that they could bungee their way to the moon, but I only had one thought on my mind.

_Is she talking about me?_

**. . . . .**_  
_

**KIM **

The room was dead silent except for the occasional sound of a pen or pencil moving across a piece of paper, and occasionally my frustrated groan rang out as another piece of paper hit the trash can with a soft pang and plop.

Grace and I were both in my room, trudging our way through all the forms that had been handed in today. The room that I had specially decorated for my own likings had suddenly felt claustrophobic and constricting, rather than the spacious living and breathing area it had once been.

Annoyed, I tossed another useless form into an ever-growing stack by the trash bin, where papers were discarded by the dozens, and a small pool of crumpled applications were already starting to form at the base. We had come inside here nearly an hour ago, and so far not even one form out of what seemed like the hundreds came near the description of the boy in red. At Grace's suggestion, I had "opened my stunningly narrow mind" and scoured all the applications, including the one's with blonde hair or green eyes, and even the ones whose initials weren't J. A. After all though, the brown hair could have just been a wig. And the eyes, the eyes that I had seen weren't a definite color, so I had to trudge my way though _every single _form on the stack.

_This is hopeless. _

Setting down my pen loudly onto the table with a clatter, I swiveled the chair around so that I was face to face with Grace, who was looking intently down on another form, eyebrows scrunched together in concentration as she made small notations and whispered something quietly under her breath.

I let out a long and drawn out groan, causing the brunette's head to instantly snap up, her eyes meeting with mine. "Forget about it Grace. This is just stupid. We'll never find out who it is," I moaned, leaning back in the thick dark leather chair, my muscles finally relaxing.

"You don't know that for sure!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the stack of unchecked papers at her side. Her voice was perky and enthusiastic, but underneath the cheerful façade, I could tell her optimism was slowly slipping, as was mine. Raising my eyebrows, I crossed my arms and sent her a silent glare. After a moment she too sighed in defeat, standing up and coming over to sit on the bed next to me.

"I guess you're right Kim," Grace replied glumly and sullenly, looking depressed that her "genius" plan had went south so quickly. Looking at her sorrowed expression, I reached over and patted her comfortingly on the shoulder.

"There's got to be another way," I muttered, mostly to myself under my breath as I though about it.

It couldn't be that hard finding one boy in a school with five thousand kids.

Just the pure thought and numbers overwhelmed me as I rubbed my temples, a pounding and piercing ache already building in between my eyes. I buried my head in between my knees, my eyes starting to feel like they would pop out of their sockets. After a few minutes of watching me, Grace stood up carefully and slung her bag over her shoulder, a small grin crossing her face as her feet hit the floor.

"I'll see you in school then Kim," Grace said as she left my room. I gave her a tight lipped smile in return, my mind still racing.

Why did everything have to be so hard?

Why couldn't I just find out who "the boy in red" was already?

Why hadn't he come up to me by now?

... Why was I asking myself so many questions?

**. . . . .**

**JACK**

By the end of that school day on Monday, I was almost completely sure that I was Kim's mystery guy. Of course, there was still that small chance that I might not be, but a small nagging feeling told me to go with my gut instinct.

And I still didn't have the courage to just go grab a damn form and hand it to Grace.

There were just so many things that I wasn't entirely sure about. I might not be Kim's mystery guy after all, for all I know it could be some tall blond haired blue eyed boy she had made out with during the ball and felt a "connection" with.

The millions of words in my head swirled as I punched the blue dummy even harder. The familiar smell of sweat and deodorant was drifting from the blue beat up lockers, a odor that didn't hinder me much. It was one of the only places I truly felt comfortable.

The dojo.

Ever since I had started here nearly four years ago, this had been the place I would go to release steam. At first I had joined out of pity, but the small and unadorned little place had grown so much on me. Almost like a second home when I didn't have anywhere else to go.

Right now I wasn't sure what to do, and being someone who always liked to be in charge, it wasn't a good feeling. It never could hurt to just go up to Kim and casually mention she probably was "his mystery guy", but then again, what guy wouldn't have already told her that? Why should she believe me of all people?

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice Jerry come up behind me. I winded my hand back for another punch to the dummy, but instead I hit Jerry's gut. My fist hit Jerry's soft flesh, and he went down with a noise that sounded somewhere in between a "Colombian war chant" and a wail.

"Ai!" was all I heard before the latino went down onto the filthy mats, clutching his stomach tightly. "Mommy!" he muttered, a look of pain in his widened eyes. I immediately bent down to help him up, muttering, "I'm so sorry Jerry!" repeatedly.

As I was helping him up stand vertically again, Milton and Eddie came in through the front doors. Eddie was munching blissfully on some falafel balls in a white cardboard container whilst Milton donned a look of confusion on his face at the sight of Jerry and I hobbling towards the bench.

"Why does Jerry look... Constipated?" Milton asked, his thin ginger eyebrows scrunching together. Fending off laughter at his remark, I replied with a straight face, "I accidentally hit him."

Jerry was still struggling to use his lungs properly, wheezing slightly. I sat him down on a wooden bench a few feet away and patted his back until he looked fine enough to stand without support.

"Yo, next time do a brother a favor and look behind you before you punch something... Or someone?" Jerry rubbed his stomach softly, and then turned around and headed towards the boys locker room muttering something under his breath in unintelligible spanish, complaining about how he was always the one to get hurt by someone.

Rolling my eyes at him, I sat down on the mats, stretching my arms out on either side of me to get rid of the remaining tension, my lips still pursed tightly together in a thin line. Milton took out a antibacterial wipe and cleaned the bench before moving to sit down on it, while Eddie leaned his weight against the wall, digging in the white container for the last crumbs from the falafel balls.

"You look stressed. Is there something wrong, Jack?" Milton's eyebrows crinkled together, his blue eyes slitting in suspicion. From my left, I felt Jerry plop down once again next to me, the pain that used to be in his face long forgotten as he nibbled on a mustard and ketchup covered corn dog.

Sighing, I shook my head at Milton's question, but he didn't look very convinced. "C'mon Jack, just tell us," he pressed, rolling up the sleeves to his plaid shirt and argyle blue sweater vest.

I pulled the front of my light blue t-shirt away from me, as if the temperature had suddenly increased. My grey sweatpants suddenly felt thicker, as if I needed to roll them up. I glanced down to the mat, and then into Milton's accusing eyes.

Biting my lip slightly, I asked the three of them, "You know those posters that Kim and Grace posted up around the school? The ones asking if anyone knew who Kim's "mystery guy" was from the ball?"

Jerry, Eddie, and Milton nodded, and Eddie chimed in, "I submitted a few myself. I know I'm probably not the guy, but someone's bound to fall for this face eventually," he said, pointing towards his face and making a cheeky and impish expression.

Regaining my composure, I took a deep breath before saying the next thing. "I think I might be who Kim's talking about."

The three of them were silent for a moment before peals of laughter rung out into the dojo, their chuckles filling the once quiet air. "You wish Jack!" Jerry hooted, a crumb of a corn dog sticking to the corner of his mouth as his tongue flicked out to catch it. My jaw clenched in exasperation, "I'm serious. Kim got beat up that night, and I'm the one who helped her." When they continued laughing, I stood up and showed them the shallow and scabbing gash still on my forehead, the one I had been hiding for a week with my hair, waiting for it to sink into their minds. "The Black Dragons beat Kim up."

At the mention of the Black Dragons, the same dojo that had always been bullying them before I came along, all of their faces instantly turned serious, all traces of laughter and merry humor gone. "What happened?" Eddie asked solemnly, although I could still tell he didn't fully believe me. At least I had gotten their attention, and I wasn't going to waste it.

Recounting everything that had happened, I decided to start from the beginning, from where Kim came up to me at the table and started talking. Jerry interrupted me every few sentences due to confusion, but other than that they all stayed silent and listened as I recalled all the events. I even told them about my lost ring, although I didn't understand how or why that tied into there, I just thought that it would be important.

I didn't notice a brown haired teenage boy who was listening intently from the other side of the glass doors.

**. . . . .**

**A/N:** _Oh, cliffhanger! Who do you guys think the mystery person who is listening to Jack's story is? Teenage, brown hair, boy... Pretty generic description I guess. __The next chapter will reveal who the mystery person is (*Gasp!) and smooth out a few confusing wrinkles that may appear. I'm pretty sure you guys are going to be able to guess who it is though, because, well... It's pretty obvious..._

___I'm so sorry I haven't updated in awhile (*blushies), but hopefully chapter 5 will be up and posted soon! _Lately my updates have been really slow and sporadic. That's because recently school has started for me, and so far, being a sophomore in high school is not fun (Gahh!). But nevertheless, I'll try and find some time to write for you guys! I like how this fic is going so far, and I'm happy with how long each of the chapters turns out. I don't really have the whole plot line set out with it, so I guess I'll just go with the flow and see how it ends up. Hopefully it won't end up with one of the main characters in a toilet... No? Just me? Well then, this is awkward...

_As per usual, I have the outfits posted on my polyvore page; www . polyvore . com (/) black_white_red/collection?id=1783618 (remove all the spaces and parenthesis first.)_

_Gosh, I'm all but keeping my eyelids up with duck tape (It holds all the secrets of the universe!) and willpower, I feel exhausted! I'll just go crash into my comfy bed now... Don't forget to review though (*Yawn.)_

_Lots of love!_

_-Alexi :)_


	5. Fake Up Stories

**A/N:** _'Sup my fellow Fanfictioners (is that a word?!) Last chapter I left you off a small cliffhanger with the mystery dude, but this'll hopefully clear everything up. The Kick action is coming, just later on... But when it comes, it'll-_

___On another note, you guys are OMGSUHASYAU! I can't even describe it, so I just typed random letters on my keyboard, and strangely, now that I look at it, the first three letters are O. M. G. Which makes perfect sense since you guys are so spectacular (even cooler than duct tape...)_

_All random issues shoved off my metaphorical oak mahogany desk, onto chapter 5 A lot of you (almost everyone who guessed) guessed correctly about who the mystery person was, so I hope you guys enjoy this chappie :) This is a really short chapter compared to some of my others, its nearly half the size of the previous one, but I still hope you guys like it! Sorry it took so long to write and upload, but here it is..._

_Presenting chapter 5!_

**Disclaimer:** _Despite desperate Christmas pleas and tears of grief, the fates have been unusually cruel and I do not own Kickin' It or Disney XD.__  
_

**. . . . .**_  
_

_"They wish they had what we had and it's jealousy that's in the way._

_Cause there's no saving us now."_

_- That's The Truth by McFly_

**. . . . .**_  
_

**KIM **

Irritated, I slammed my dark blue locker door shut, and came face to face with someone leaning against Grace's closed locker next to mine. There was a small smug and self-satisfied yet secretive smirk on his face and a glimmer in his green flecked hazel eyes, as if he knew something that no one else did, and he wasn't afraid to use the information to his advantage.

_Brody. _

Brody was a former Black Dragon, and when I joined, he was already a fully initiated black belt. Brody was pretty good at karate, and he probably could go at me hand for hand right now. I know at some point in time he had a crush on me, but that probably was over. He didn't get along too well with Frank and the others, and he was the only Black Dragon that didn't treat me like complete trash after I quit the dojo, the only one who passed me a casual smile and the occasional, "hi," in the hallway.

He was _decent. _

At the moment though, I wasn't in the mood. It was Wednesday, two days after Grace had tacked up the posters, and even though the thick and steady flow of applications being handed in never ceased, we still hadn't found out who the boy in red was.

Muttering to myself under my breath, I moved the heavy textbooks in my right arm to the crook of my left elbow, a grimace crossing my face in the process. I cast a discreet look at the clock, noting quickly that I had about twenty minutes until the first bell for homeroom rang.

"What, Brody?" I snapped. One of his eyebrows raised at my tone of voice and he remarked, "Touchy."

I sent him a glare from the corner of my eye, not in the mood for sarcasm. "Look, I really don't have time right now. I have to get to class soon. If Frank wanted to tell me something, you can go tell him to stuff it."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to get to," I stated haughtily.

I was about to leave when Brody grabbed my wrist, jerking me back harshly against him.

"What?" I asked, seriously pissed at that point. I tapped my foot against the floor, waiting for him to release me so I could be on my way.

"I just thought you would like to know who your mystery guy is." Brows furrowed, I turned around and I listened intently as the words came out of his lips, "Me."

_Brody? _A million thoughts ran through my head as I thought it over. I guess it would make sense, seeing he fit the bill and all, being brunet, tall, and _really _good at martial arts. But there was thing that certainly didn't add up. Brody's initial were B. C., and as far as I was concerned, that was no where even remotely near the letters J.B. It was probably just another dumb hazing activity Frank had convinced Brody to do, and I certainly wasn't falling for it.

Rolling my eyes and letting out a small sarcastic, "Sure," I turned around and almost succeeded in walking completely away when Brody said, "I know you have my ring."

The words vibrated through the air, embedding themselves in my brain.

Twisting around slowly, eyes wide, I looked at him, my breath catching halfway in my throat as I choked out my question. "What?" I asked hoarsely, and the silver band that was in my pocket suddenly felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, and was burning a hole in my jeans. Brody nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving mine as his Adam's apple bobbed once.

A small dimple near his mouth flashed momentarily at my silence and confusion. _He was enjoying this._

Snapping out of a haze, my eyes clearing up, I grabbed his wrist, dragging him across the crowded school floors and into a empty hallway, where no one would be able to hear our conversation.

I paced in the narrow space, thoughts racing through my mind. "How do you know about that?" my question came out accusing and cynical, my jaw clenched tightly as I crossed my arms over my chest.

Brody took a deep breath before responding. "I know about the J.B. Ya know, not Justin Bieber though," the words tumbled out of his lips quickly and quietly, with just a trace of humour. "The ring; It used to be my dad's. His name was Jeffery Bilmon. Before he and my mom got divorced, he gave me that ring, as a really deep down sentimental gift, ya know," Brody said, each word flowing smoothly into the next.

"I've been wearing it ever since, so it's like we're still close, even when he's in another state or country." My stance was still rigid, but I could feel myself soften slightly at his statement.

I gulped, my eyes turning the size of dinner plates as he continued on without stopping. "And I'm the boy in red. I know what happened with you and the Black Dragons, I would never let them do that to you, so I just had to protect you when I saw them starting to beat you up," he continued, his voice soft, his eyes full of trust.

"I know that you know, I'm telling you the truth here Kim."

Eyes squinted, I searched his face, trying to see if he was lying or not. There was a flicker of something, doubt, or fear maybe? It was gone after a moment though, and I convinced myself I had just imagined the momentary flash of desperation in his eyes.

After a moment of careful examination, I pulled the wide silver band out of my pocket, slipping it into the palm of his outstretched hand.

Brody, however, didn't put it on, rather slipped it into the pocket of his jeans and took my hand, his fingers interlacing with mine as he smiled down at me. I smiled back up at him, finally that the search was over.

I ignored the small feeling of distrust that was growing in the pit of my stomach.

**. . . . .**

**JACK **

I sat up groggily from bed, rubbing away the last remnants of sleep from my eyes. I looked blearily at the clock through sleep ridden eyes, my mouth agape in a wide yawn.

_7:52 A.M. _

My eyes bulged at I read the small digits. _7:52? _The first bell for Seaford High rang precisely at 8:10 A.M., and I had less than twenty minutes to get dressed and have my butt in my assigned seat in homeroom. The actual tardy bell didn't ring until 8:20 A.M., but my homeroom teacher was an absolute witch, and she said that everyone had to be in their seats by the first bell, not the tardy bell. It normally took about fifteen minutes to drive to school, so I didn't have much time to get ready.

Struggling up the white fluffy duvet covers of my bed, I quickly crossed the room to my closet to throw on a shirt. My foot banged loudly against the corner of my bed as I ran over, searing pain spreading up my ankle as I hopped around in desperation.

"Shit!" I quietly muttered, but kept on moving. I threw on a shirt and some jeans, not bothering to even look at them before I put them on, sniffing them quickly to make sure that they were clean. I picked up a pair of discarded white socks on the floor and dragged them onto the soles of my feet as I scurried out of my room, cursing again when the tip of my elbow clipped the doorway of the bathroom as I rushed to brush my teeth.

You'd figure that after doing martial arts for over a decade, I'd be some super trained ninja spy assassin with smoke bombs and laser sharp reflexes.

Moving as fast as I could, I spat out the toothpaste in my mouth and left my toothbrush on the edge of the sink, my socked feet sliding across the floors as I passed by the breakfast table in the kitchen and grabbed a slice of toast, stuffing it into my mouth as I nipped my keys up from the glass coffee table and exited the house, the front door banging solidly to a close in my wake.

Impatient, I quickened my speed down the cobblestone driveway with the piece of buttered toast still half hanging out of my mouth and nimbly leaped into my car, starting the engine and revving the gas as I checked the mirrors to make sure that it was clear to go. I maneuvered the small black Nisan onto the road and started driving.

The ride to school smooth, and there were no red lights, so I wasn't late when I arrived at school. As I clambered out of my small Nisan, I somehow managed to rap my head against my car door as I ran towards the school.

Clutz.

Skidding into the hallways, I cast a glance at the large wall clock, letting out a large breath of relief after noting that it was only 8:02 A.M. I took a minute to take a deep breath and straighten myself, brushing off imaginary pieces of dirt from my pants as I readjusted my hoodie over my shoulders.

Lifting my head up as I continued walking, I saw Milton, Jerry, and Eddie all cluttered near my locker, their heads bent low as they chatted amongst themselves. I walked up to them, my book bag slumping over my shoulders in relief as I sniffed slightly.

"Hey guys," I said, their heads turning to the sound of my voice. "Hey Jack," Eddie smiled back, turning back around to digging in his book bag for something.

I gave them a small grin, clearing my throat, shifting from foot to foot.

"So..." Milton trailed off, clearly not knowing what to say, breaking the awkward silence that had grown between the four of us.

"Are you going to tell Kim that you're her mystery guy?" Milton whispered, casting furtive looks to make sure no one had heard. Jerry's back was to a locker, looking fascinated at the variety of short shorts that some girls in the halls wore. Eddie was busy elsewhere, his head halfway stuck in his bag, probably eating something inside.

I let out a half smile and a shrug at Milton's question. "I don't know. Maybe though, just not right now."

"Well, you should, you don't know how much longer Kim is gonna wait before-"

The two of us were interrupted by a loud wolf whistle from Jerry as a cheerleader passed by. "Looking good mamacita!" he hollered, running a hand through his over jelled hair and following shortly in desperate pursuit.

Shaking his head, Milton continued, "Someone else might come along and find out, Jack."

"C'mon, it's okay. Just-" The bell rang as I paused mid-sentance, piercing through the air. "Its okay Milton, relax. It'll be fine," I continued as I reassured him before heading off to class. I turned around to say bye to Eddie and Jerry before heading off to class, only to crash promptly into a certain someone.

The first thing I noticed was the uber short blue plaid skirt and the white crop top that exposed half of her midriff. My eyes traveled up to long platinum blonde hair and her stoic icy blue eyes met with mine, a look of frustration crossing her face momentarily.

"Watch where you're going!" Donna retorted. I lifted my hands up in mock surrender and walked around her, hearing her mutters of, "Such a.."

Rolling my eyes in plain disbelief, I continued on my way to science, not even bothering to stick around for Donna's curses aimed towards me. I entered the bio room and took my usual seat, flashing a smile towards Mr. Reeds. I tucked my chin in the palm of my hand as Mr. Reeds walked up to the centre of the class and began his lecture.

"Good morning students!" he called out jovially. I picked out a blue pen from my pencil pouch and idly began doodling in my notebook, Mr. Reeds's words falling on deaf ears. Normally I would be taking note about every word he said, but he was talking about something we had learned last week, so there was no need for me to recopy it down.

"Ms. Crawford! Would you care to answer that question?"

My head snapped up as the class silenced, all eyes turning to Kim.

"I- uh- well," Kim stuttered. It was obvious that she hadn't been paying attention to Mr. Reeds, as half of the class wasn't in the first place, but now all the talking had stopped as they waited to see what one of the queen bee populars would say.

"I don't know," she finally admitted. Mr. Reeds shook his head, but continued on with the lecture nevertheless. I returned to doodling squiggly lines in my notebook, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kim and Donna quietly conversing.

"-but then I finally found out who it was," I heard Kim whisper quietly, as I was only two rows away from her. My ears pricked up at Donna's next question, "Was the boy in red hot? Like, super hot? He has insane ninja skills right?"

My heart nearly stopped in my chest when I finally figured out the topic of their conversation. How had Kim managed to figure out that it was me? It didn't matter anyways though, I was planning on telling her eventually.

Right?

Shaking my head, I returned my eyes to the teacher, struggling to pay attention to Mr. Reeds.

It was better this way. She already knew it was me.

A small smile on my face, I returned my eyes to the teacher.

**. . . . .**

**KIM**

The day trudged by painstakingly, each period stretching out for what seemed like eternity. I felt a huge relief when the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

"Thank god! I thought the day would never end!" I told Grace, who was at my right, her eyes scanning the thick crowd of high schoolers struggling to get out the doors and move on with the rest of the day. Earlier, during History, I had told her about Brody, and although she was skeptical at first, when I told her all the supporting evidence, she was happy that my search was finally over.

"I know right?" Grace replied back, scrunching her nose up slightly.

"Ugh, I swear, everyday is-" I stopped cold when a felt a pair of lips brush against my neck suddenly from behind, followed by a whispered, "Hey babe."

Turning around, I came face to face with Brody. "Hey," I said back simply, clasping his hand with mine, shifting fro the close proximity.

"So, Grace, what was it you wanted to say?" I asked. Grace suddenly checked her phone at my question and said, "Oh, would you look at the time! I have to leave you two lovebirds alone," and with that, she disappeared through the school's exit. The click of her glossy black pumps disappeared into the air as the two of us stood in the halls.

"Huh," I chuckled, glancing at her retreating figure. Brody simply shook his head, rolling his eyes at her. "So, got any plans Saturday night?" he asked casually, rebounding quickly, slowly and unconsciously backing me up against the lockers.

"I don't think so. Why?" I replied, skeptical. I reached to check my phone when his hand shot out and caught mine.

"You do now," was all the answer I got from him, a small smirk crossing his face.

"So chauvinistic," I scoffed in response, and I was become increasingly aware about how close we were now. Before I could say anything about it however, his lips were suddenly on mine, giving me no room for argument or disagreement.

"Um..." the two of us broke apart at the sound of someone clearing their throat. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as I twisted my head around Brody's broad shoulders to get a better view of who it was.

"Oh, hey Jack."

**. . . . .**

**A/N:** _Whoo, finally done! I'm not so happy with this chapter overall (it's so short compared to all my others, only 3,284+ words!), but I had to post it, good or not, 'cause I know you guys were waiting for me to finally update :) __So, what do you think is gonna happen in the next chapter; will Jack finally be revealed? I don't know yet though! I haven't written chapter 6 yet (hehe?)..._

_I'm really sorry I haven't updated in awhile for this fanfic. I felt SO guilty when I didn't update for such a long time, so I put off my homework for now and started typing chapter 5 up for you guys. Homework and studying can wait until the weekend! Lol, I know, I'm such a procrastinator (^.^)_

_Is anyone else excited about HTRJ? I saw the promo and the clip, and I was squealing like crazy (my brother was giving me weird looks). I hope there are some MAJOR Kick moments, and for that Lorie chick that's gonna be in the episode... You better stay away! BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE! I SAID BOOM! The only thing that could make me happier right now is if McFly came back to the U.S. for a tour, but sadly, I don't think that'll happen :(_

_Hopefully my next update will be sooner, I don't wanna keep you waiting, you guys are so amazing to me! Please review, I love hearing what you have to say and what you thought about it. Be back in another few months! ... #justkidding ;P_

___Lots of love and cookies (dark chocolate I guess if you're lactose intolerant like my cousin)!_

_-Alexi_


	6. The Week Before

**A/N:** _APOLOGIES TO ALL!_

_First of all, l__et me just say that I'm so sorry (again!) for not updating in months. I've just been so swamped with school that I haven't really had the time to do anything but study and work. I've also changed my pen name to "beginnings-and-endings" because I felt like it was more appropriate._

_On another note, I know that a few of you have been reading my other fanfic "This Is Home: Where I Belong", and to all of you who enjoyed it, I apologize for deleting it. It's just that I'm not really feeling it anymore, and I honestly can't see that fic going anywhere. For now, I'm just going to focus on this story before I work on anything else._

_Well, enough ranting and chatter for now. Onto the story then! I'm trying out a style that's just a bit different, so let me know what you guys think of it! Kim is a bit naive here too, but I hope it seems ok._

___Warning: There is some OOC(ness) in this chapter. Kick viewer discretion is advised ;)_

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to Disney XD©, Kickin' It©, and their corresponding owners. No copyright infringement intended, as this was made for entertaining uses. Hehe, I finally pulled off a "formal" disclaimer. I am so proud :')__  
_

**. . . . .**_  
_

_"So here's to all the lonely hearts because mine's been ripped and torn apart,_

_I'm colder now, it's getting dark. But I'll be okay."_

_- "The Last Song" by McFly_

**. . . . .**

**KIM**

The second I heard him, only one word would come to mind.

_Shit. _

With my shirt crumpled to my chest and my back pressed firmly against the lockers, I couldn't have felt more stained or like such an embarrassment. Brody turned his head and smiled easily at Jack, as if nothing was wrong. His words came out fluidly as he opened he opened his mouth to speak.

"Oh, hey Jack." ... Dear god, why couldn't I be like that?

I scooted my way from in back of Brody so I could stand next to him, yet I couldn't force myself to meet Jack's eyes for some reason. It wasn't as if I had done something so wrong, right?

Even with those words running through my head in reassurance, the tension was still there. Out if the corner of my eye I noticed Jack's fists, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles where starting to turn white. His feet where tapping an impatient rhythm against the tile, as if he needed to say something but didn't know just how to describe it.

Story of my life.

"I just- I wanted to talk to Kim for a moment." My heart plummeted to my feet as I heard those words. Alone? Without Brody as a moderator? I forced myself to look up and smile. Brody nodded in understanding, and gave Jack a quick, "No problem," in return. He leaned down to kiss my cheek, but the gesture didn't feel warm or caring at all.

It felt possessive.

Shaking off the negative vibes and thoughts, I flashed Brody a grin and a small wave as he left, the echo of the closing door imposing on us. I glanced down at my wrung hands and took a deep breath before speaking.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Jack?" I forced my voice not to go up at the end, although it ended up having a slight lilt to it. I groaned internally, but forced myself to keep a straight face.

His head lifted and his eyes met with mine in an almost accusing glare that made me want to shift and run all at the same time. Geez, why was he so mad at me?

"I came to talk to you about your whole "mystery guy" thing, but I see that you're... Otherwise occupied." Jack's words came out slowly, as if he had taken his time to choose each individual syllable and put it in place in his articulate sentence. It only made it worse to see him so emotionless.

I stood there for a minute, befuddled like a deer in headlights. "Huh? Come again please?"

Jack sighed, seemingly aggravated, breaking the icy wall of no emotion. "I wanted to clear things up with you regarding the night of the ball, and instead I find you making out with Brody. Really, Kim?" He shook his head as if to clear it before continuing on. "I'm not here to argue though, because that it honestly the last thing I need at the moment."

My eyebrows furrowed together. Catching myself, I forced myself to relax, as I did _not _want to end up with laugh lines later on in my life. "Wait, Brody's my _boyfriend_, what was I doing particularly out of the ordinary? If you thought that it was inappropriate, you should _really _see Donna when she gets going-"

"I couldn't really care less about Donna right now," he snapped qiuckly, his composure quickly slipping from cold to anger. His arrogance and attitude were starting to elevate considerably, and the fact that nothing pieced together only made it worse at the moment for me. It was like starting one of those huge 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles and you couldn't tell which piece was a corner piece and which piece belonged in the center.

"Then what's the matter, Jack?" I asked, my hands on my hips as I all but felt my hackles rising. I didn't even bother to take a deep breath this time. "You come here screaming your head off about nonsense and you expect me to trot along like a puppy. I don't even understand what the hell you're trying to say!"

I saw his glare waver a bit, and underneath there was a brief flash of something. Hurt, maybe? Before I could be sure of what it was, his angry glare was back, and his voice was back on in full force. It was cool and concise, but that only made it worse to see the thin veneer of anger underneath the control.

"Ohoho, so now I'm the bad guy for wanting to talk to you, huh? You know, it's funny how you can twist two sentences of mine about the masquerade and make me a criminal."

"What about it? You want to say that you didn't like my dress? Or you thought I ate too much? Or maybe you just wanted an excuse to come and start criticizing me, right? You're nothing but- "

"I was the one you talked to! I was the one that you met at the ball! Me! Okay?!"

_Silence._

"Pardon?"

"Kim, look, I'm not really interested in arguing right now, kay?! I just wanted to clear some things up because I saw that-"

"How. Stupid. Do. You. Think. I. Am?" I said the words slowly, because his sentence was still processing through my brain. Surely, it couldn't be true. It wasn't true. Because I had already found who I had met the other night, which surely had to be Brody. So it couldn't be true. Shouldn't be true.

Wouldn't be true.

"You think that you waltz in here and expect me to believe it? Well, shocker, I already know that it can't be you. It's Brody." I said the words haughtily, maybe just a bit arrogantly, and to some extent, desperately.

"But-"

"Save it! Just, save it, okay?!" I felt my voice rising, but I didn't do anything to stop it. I thought that Jack and I had actually had the chance to be friends. _Real _friends, who stood there when you needed them. "I thought that you were different. That maybe you actually had wanted to just be my _friend _for once because of _me_, like no one else did. That maybe, you were being nice to me because you wanted to. But it was all just a big lie, wasn't it? You just tried to creep your way in by being my friend and acting all nice to me when you had no intention to. So what was it, huh? You wanted to be big with Donna? Or maybe you just wanted a new space in a fancy new clique that you've never been in before?"

"Listen-"

I cut him off with my hand, not wanting to even hear him speak. "Did you really think that I was that stupid? That just because I'm friends with Donna that I don't have a brain? Well, listen bud, I have a brain, and it works just fine, thank you very much. I can't believe I was that _dumb!_"

"Just let me explain!" There was a hint of desperation in his voice, and maybe if I hadn't been hurting or so mad at him, I might've given him a chance to explain. But I couldn't. The words were spinning so fast in my head and I just had to get them out.

"Just keep away from me. I don't want to talk to you, or anything else. Just stay out of my way."

**. . . . .**

_It says home is where your heart is. _**  
**

_But what a shame, because everyone's heart doesn't beat the same._

**. . . . .**_  
_

"Paranormal science-"

"See, that's where you lose me; right at the get-go. "Paranormal science" is an oxymoron, Grace."

I sat cross legged on my bed, Grace sitting on the other side, her glasses perched delicately on her small nose. Her eyes were scanning over her research paper frantically, trying to edit it as fast as she could so she would have more time to do other things, like go shopping or trying some new samples of the _Macaron Krazy Kiss Lipgloss _at the mall. So far I had kept this afternoon's confrontation with Jack under lock-and-key so far, but I was starting to get pissed at the world.

_Cliche, much?_

"Well Kim, if you think about it, paranormal science isn't really an oxymoron. It's more of an... Undefined field, per say." She looked up at me, her head cocked to the side. I would've laughed at the way she looked exactly like our English teacher, but I wasn't in the laughing mood at the moment.

I sighed in defeat at Grace's terminology. "Whatever."

Grace, now all business, took off her glasses and set them down on the bureau beside her, calmly folding her hands in her lap and sitting like a prim psychologist. "Listen, we can go on pretending to edit my science paper and chatting like civilized little monkeys, or you can tell me what's really on your mind at the moment. Choose, Crawford. Choose wisely."

I feigned a look of surprise. "Nothing's wrong!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air. The air was quiet, and I braced myself for the alomst certain prospect of the onslaught of questions by Grace that never came.

"..."

Resigned, I caved in and shook my head. "Okay, well, you know Jack, right?"

Her eyebrows scrunched together for a moment as she struggled to recall. After a moment, a look of recognition appeared in her mind, and I could all but hear the little "ding" of a bell in her head. "Brown hair, really tall, has an awesome-"

"YES, that's the one," I said, not wanting to hear the rest of her sentence. I continued on slowly, careful to choose my words so that I wouldnt give to much away to her. Or to anyone, for that matter. "Well, things are kind of, _complicated, _between us."

She set down her journal next to her glasses and bounced on the bed beside me. "Like, what do you mean? Are you dating him or something? Are you, like, legit, cheating on Brody, the guy that you're so _in love _with?" Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively, a move that was pure Donna influence.

I hit her on the arm at her sarcasm, a small chuckle escaping my lips, but the stern look on my face didn't budge. "No! Jeez, think for a moment, Grace!"

"So then, what's up?"

I groaned quietly, exasperated at her and her obliviousness. If she hadn't gotten my gist just yet, then there was no point in even trying to exlain to her everything. "You know what, just forget I even mentioned it, okay? Let's get back to that paper of yours."

"C'mon, spill. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me." She said, poking my arm as she accentuated each word. Her round finger nails didn't even have nay effect, although it did tickle just a bit. "Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me."

I growled, a low sound that came out of the back of my throat in pure reflex to her annoyance. "If you do that again, I swear to god, I will bite off your head. Literally. And soccer-kick it off the roof. Three times."

"Touchy..."

**. . . . .**

_I'm not falling anymore._

_I've already hit the ground with a big splat._

**. . . . .**_  
_

School was treacherous.

Literally.

It seemed like everywhere I went, there was _Jack. _But it wasn't like he tried to catch up to me, or talk to me, or wave. He kept his head down, and whenever he looked at me, it was with blank eyes. Blank heart. Blank words.

So naturally, I did the same.

I did have to admit, it was partially my fault for snapping at him so quickly, but I wasn't going to apologize. Not when he was the one whom had _lied _to me.

Mondays where a headache, and even sometimes a migraine. Hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks. Eventually, the cool December air beckoned snow, and just before us lay something that all the students had been waiting for ever since school had started, like a prayer for all of us who were just plain tired.

Winter break.

It was just a week away, and you could all but feel the anticipation ripe in the air as students counted down the hours until it was two blessed weeks of freedom- away from school, away from responsibilities, and away from statuses. Like a blessed week of hiatus and hibernation.

Grace was going to South Florida to visit her grandparents- and tan, of course. Kelsey and Donna were going with Kelsey's family to Quebec on a ski trip, but Donna had just tagged along because of the hope of cute french guys she could potentially meet. Brody was going out of town; where to, he didn't specify, but he had said that he would miss me with all of his heart. It was gooey and corny, but still sweet nonetheless.

So that left me all alone for winter break. No friends, no boyfriend; just me, my mom, and my sister.

Still, it wasn't the time to dwell on such things. I still had a week of school to trudge through, and it wasn't certainly wasn't near pleasant. Not because I had any bad experiences, but because it felt like the break was so close, but it would never come somehow.

I mean, what kind of student doesn't count down until break? Unless, of course, you counted the nerdy ones, then there would be not quite 100%. But according to Kelsey, one "nerd-herd" (comprised of three nerds) only equaled one-third of an actual person. It was low, pale, rude, and vicious, but I didn't comment.

How can you comment, when everything you've worked for your whole life is there?

So I kept my mouth shut and nodded, just like I was supposed to.

But like always, I kept a smile on my face and laughed when told to. Only, for some reason, I felt different. And no, not the corny, cliche, gooey kind of different, but the bad kind.

The kind that leaves you feeling sorta hollowed out, and cold, like some wierd kind of alien exterminators came from the planet _Venilmartiak_ and ate your insides until you were nothing but a empty shell.

... Too many movie festivals...

That particular Monday, the week before winter break, was just like any typical Monday for me: I had the same classes, the same friends, the same fascades, and almost the exact same homework assignments as before.

"I'm so... _TORN! _I mean, should I bring my cute, fashionable army green jacket on the trip or my winter white basic one I _always_ wear? Winter whites are so _in _right now, but I think that the green makes me look more glowy. So, which one you guys? " Donna asked during study hall, the four of us sitting on a long bench next to eachother. Our bookbags lay neglected by our feet as we discussed.

Kelsey debated internally for a moment before answering with unswering loyalty that was typical of her. "Definitely the army green one. I mean, it is totes adorbs!" She looked down briefly at her magenta pink nail polish to ensure that it hadn't chipped before continuing on. "Li9ke, your winter white _MK _jacket is adorbs to, but you've worn it soo much, Donna, it's starting to get drab intead of fab! Besides, I think the green would be a fashion statement, and a trendsetter."

Donna looked over at Grace for confirmation, since she was, after all, the logical and most cool-headed one of the group.

Grace shrugged her shoulders, a small, casual movement that had her light brown hair shifting. "I agree with Kelsey, Donna. I haven't seen the green one just yet , but I think an olive green would be _perfect _for your trip to Quebec. I mean, it would look warmer too, and more approachable to guys!"

She smiled, grateful for the input by the both of them. Donna glanced briefly at the new text on her phone before returning to us. "Thanks so much you guys. Kim, what do you think, though? Basic winter whites or army greens?"

"Go for whatever you want, Donna. I think you'd look great in absolutely anything." It was a total lie, but hey, a little white lie never hurt anybody from time to time, did it?

"Army green it is!" she decided, tucking her black iPhone 5 back into her Coach bookbag. She flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder as she moved to sit back up.

"I'm gonna mis you guys _so _much on this trip. You've always been there for me, and I just think that it's about time that I tell you guys how much you really mean to me. Honestly. I know I can be an absolute _bitch _at times, but you've never complained or argued, which is amzing of all of you," Donna said the words slowly, and pulled us into a hug.

"You too Donna, you too."

**. . . . .**

_What they say can't be true. Because if it is,_

_then they must not have know that I even existed on this planet._

**. . . . .**

**GRACE**

The first thing I heard when I got home was arguing. More specifically, my parents arguing. They're muted words flung off the walls as I dropped my bookbag down in the hall leading to the foyer.

"You _never _take _any _responsibility! How am I supposed to take care of our family when you don't even listen to what I say, or treat me with such insolence and coldness! I'm your wife, not a housemaid, and I'm sick of being treated like nothing!"

"I wouldn't be so "distant and cold" if you didn't always throw yourself around in bars at men! You can hardle blame this on me, because it's not my fault. I earn the bread in this family, and what do you do? You go and parade around in fancy skirts going to cheep booze bars wasting _my _money and complaining that I'm not home long enough because I've been trying to DIG US OUT OF THIS HOLE OF DEBT YOU'VE GOTTEN US INTO-"

I didn't stick around to hear the rest, because I was already on my way out of the pretty oak door that hid _a lot _of things.

They fought constantly, and their tantrums would end in a variety of ways. Some days they acted mushy like high school sweethearts, and other times they fought until I had to come down and yell that I was trying to do my homework or study. I think they probably would've left eachother and moved on with their lives by now if they didn't have a daughter to raise. They might be happier, or maybe still together, or...

_OK, time to cut the nostalgic crap thoughts, Grace._

With my head down and my pink candy-skull earphones blasting in my ears, I headed towards the park, the cold air briskly sneeking up under my winter parka as I sniffled and hummed to myself. I continued walking with my head down, completely unaware of the surroundings around me until I crashed right smack into someone. I think it was fair to say that the impact left me reeling.

My first impression was of a latino with a full head of curly black hair and mischevious light brown eyes under thick black eyebrows. I didn't have time to say anything though, because I was crashing; butt first, into the wet asphalt.

"Oh!" I squeaked, horrified. My left earphone had fallen out of my ear, and I was positive there was a bruise beginning to form on my butt. Very dignified.

How great.

"I'm so sorry!" the latino said, extending an arm to help me get up. I took it gratefully, and brushed myself off as best as I could, trying to regain whatever composure I had left in me. When I looked into his eyes though, the expression from his face turned from one of apology to one devilishness.

"Ohohoho! You're Grace West, aren't you? Well, you probably aready knew, but I'm Jerry Martinez-" he paused in mis-sentence, turning in a full circle while popping his collar, "-swag master extraordanaire." He gave me a face with a raised brow and puckered lips that I think was supposed to be a sultry look gone absolutely wrong. He stayed there in that position for a moment, startled when I didn't respond right away.

I didn't know why, but there was something about his face and his voice that made me laugh a bit as he said it. "What is a 'swag master', precisely?"

He paused, thinking. "Well, it's kind of a- like, you know a- a person who- um- like... I don't really know," he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with the palm of his right hand.

I giggled again, and to my horror, a snort managed to sneak up on the back of my throat. I cleared my throat in an attempt to smother it down before it came up again. "It's okay, I think I get what you mean anyways. Well, 'swag master', I am Grace West... Something else extraordinaire."

He laughed too, and much to my surprise, I kind of liked it. It was warm, but it still wasn't calm at all. It was like this guy screamed _hyper, _and something told me that this guy and a mini-trampoline would go very well with eachother someday. I had to admit, he wasn't exactly blessed with _Adonis-esque _looks, but his attitude was something I was sure was one in a million. "Well then, 'somthing else extraordinaire', where are you heading this fine day?"

"This fine day? It's below freezing, and I'm positive that thanks to you I now have snow up my back," I retorted, stuffing my hands in the pocket of my thick winter jacket.

"Well hey, I wouldn't mind getting that snow out for you," he suggested, dark eyes amused and purely suggestive. I shrieked in disdain and shock, hitting him solidly on the arm. "That was not what I meant, Jerry."

"So, where are you headed anyways?"

I shugged as we walked together, the snow softly crunching on the white covered asphalt. Our boots made two pairs of indents along the street, one much more remarkably larger than the other. "Just the park."

"Hey, I was on my way to the park just now too! We should go together," Jerry offered, a mile wide grin on his face. I, however, did not believe in coincedences.

My eyebrows raised at his odd statement. "Were you _really _going to the park too? Because, as I recall, you were headed in the direction _away _from the park just a few minutes ago when you crashed in to me. And got snow up my back and pants. Ring a bell, Jerry? Remember?"

He sighed, caving in. "Fine, I was headed to the mall to see if I could pick up any cute girls. But the way I see it, I already have my goal accomplished." The smile he gave me showed a flash of boyishness that instantly raised him several notches on my scale. His words took a few seconds to sink in though, and when they did, I realized that in a round-about sort of way, he might have been complimenting me.

I was glad that the hoodie to my parka was on so he couldn't see the blush that rose to my cheeks. "Thanks," I murmured quietly.

"Anytime," he responded, then paused again. "Just don't get to used to poetic stuff or anything like that, that's Milton's fort."

"You mean forte?" I asked inquisitively, looking at him through a sidelong glance at his mispoken interpretation of the word "fort" and "forte". I laughed silently to myself as we continued to walk, although we weren't paying attention about where we were going. The silence and casual chatter was easy between us, and it was nice to feel unhibited for a little while.

"Yeah, whatever." He shrugged carelessly.

"You know, you must _really _be a keeper," I said sarcastically, mouth twisting up in a mocking, half grin that didn't appear too often on my face. His eyes glimmered as he looked down at me, a hint of trouble and sillyness in the brown flecked hazel eyes.

"You offering?" Jerry asked, swinging his arm around me as we walked. Delicately, I took his arm off of me, although he didn't seem the least bit offended at my actions. "No, I was not."

He made a face, one that I couldn't really describe. It was like a spaz face, the gone-wrong sultry face, and a pout all mized up together into one. It looked kind of like a constipated monkey walking on a runaway, and I didn't hold back my laughter this time. "Well, you should hurry up, because there are a long line of girls waiting for me everytime I enter a room." He brushed the imaginary snow off of his shoulder blades.

I pressed my lips together to hold in the peals of laughter. "Mmhmm, _sure there are. _Keep deluding yourself, and you'll end up in a mental institution some day, my friend." I quickened my pace, leaving Jerry standing a few metres behind me in the snow.

"So, I'm already considered your friend, huh? Wow, that was quick!" he commented, his dark black hair bobbing under the bright red beanie as he moved to catch up to me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "It's a phrase, you dummy."

His eyebrows furrowed in genuine confusion and mockery. "It is? So then, all those people who have said it, they were just 'saying a phrase' to me all along?" The quick smile he gave me at the end of his sentence though assured me that he very well knew what I had meant. Which was a good thing, otherwise I would have _seriously _been worried about his mentsal health and less than average I.Q.

All I could do was laugh helplessly.

"What?" he asked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his snow pants. His head was cocked to the side like an obedient little puppy, but from the few moments that I had know him, I knew he was anything but.

"I wonder." I replied simply.

A street sign came into my line of vision, and my eyes glanced quickly over it until I realized how far we had walked. I turned around and glanced back at the green trees and benches that dotted the landscape, now seemingly far away. I looked back, and then at Jerry, and then back, and then to Jerry once again.

"What?"

"Well, hell, we walked by the park and we didn't even notice," I said, amused and befuddled at the same time. I dragged my hand through my hair as I contemplated our situation.

He laughed, a pure, free sound that was nice to hear. We were interrupted, however, by his phone vibrating in his back pocket. He made no move to answer it, so I decided to mention it incase he really didn't know that someone was trying to get in contact with him.

"Um, your ass is vibrating," I pointed out, raising a brow.

He rolled his eyes and then answered. I heard a lady on the other end chatting in rapid streams that I couldn't understand or comprehend, and Jerry responded in quick bursts of what seemed to be very fluent Spanish before hanging up and turning his phone off.

"I have to go," he admitted, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "But hey, this was fun, Grace. I do karate, so maybe sometime you can stop by the dojo while I attempt to show you some new moves and end up having my friend catch me." His eyes were wide with hope, waiting for me to answer.

"Sounds like a plan, swag master."

**. . . . .**

_Cynical scientists say that happiness is just a series of chemical reactions._

_But I know that it is, always has been, and always will be, something much more than just a definition._

**. . . . .**

_Massive A/N ahead... You have been warned..._

**A/N:** _And... That... Is... A... Wrap! Okay, so definitely not one of my best chapters, but it's a decent length (around 5.5k), so, meh. I added some Jace, which, as you know, whill have a HUGE impact later on for Kick (in a good way though). __I also wanted Donna to have a little heart here, since almost every fic porttrays her as SUPER female-dog. If it wasn't, it would just be kiss kiss hug hug, which is, a pretty sucky ending all in all. ____Honestly, I did not enjoy this chapter too much. Legit hated it. Like, 'I-would-burn-it-in-an-oven-and-never-see-it-again' kind of hated it._

___Okay, maybe just a *smidge* too far._

___Really quickly, special shout-out to **99Kisses** for being my 100th reviewer! I'm so grateful to all of ya guys who read this; I would try to give shout-outs to all of you but there are just too many to love; the A/N would be longer than the chapter! I know my writing isn't the best in ANY standards at all (I was proof reading it the other day and I found many discrepancies...), and in some cases it lacks a lot of "professional" sheen since I write in 1st POV rather than 3rd POV, but you guys still read it nevertheless, and I'm so grateful for that. Basically, I just wanted to give a huge hug to anyone who even clicked on this link. It means the world to me :')_

_If ya want, message me sometime on the Kickin' It Wikia too! My username on there is -EverybodyKnows-, and I'd love to chat with you dude(ttes) anytime of day!_

_Homework is like torture from the school to bring home with you... -_-_

_EAT. LISTEN TO MCFLY. SLEEP. WATCH KICKIN' IT._

___Please please please please review! I don't have much time to write anymore, but I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions in the review box so I can get to writing faster and have an idea of what you guys like. I'll try to update as soon as I can, but the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update with new chapters! LOL, #reviewhoginthehouse :D_

___Lots of love!_

_- Alexi :)_


	7. Promises, Promises

**A/N:** _Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for not updating in a long time, as I have been pretty busy with schoolwork and extracuricular activites. I. AM. SO. FREAKING. SORRY. Seriously, I feel like I've neglected this. Anyone still out there reading this?_

_I also used a lot of literature repitition in some parts; sorry if it's a bit annoying. It's been very tough for me to squeeze in some time to write, so I apologize for any errors. I'm trying to incorporate a few reviewer ideas that you guys had, so look out for those!_

_At the end of this chapter is a long(er) and _**VERY **_important author's note. Please read it? _

**Disclaimer:** _I no own nothing. Understood?_

**. . . . .**

**PROMISES, PROMISES**

**. . . . .**

_"I saw two souls disappear in the night. Hit the ground running, like wolves from a fight. I'd never heard them; the last words that were said.  
But I saw the flash and the colour was red."_

_- "Red" by_ McFly  
**. . . . .**

**KIM**

The time that had seemed so far away suddenly passed by in a voluminous blur. Streaks of time passed by much too fast for the human brain the understand, and before it was even comprehendably possible, the Friday before winter break came. Students were patiently waiting in their seats, on the very edge, as the second hand on the clock ticked by in an impossibly slow time frame.

_Tick._

_Tick._

_Tick._

_Tick._

Hearts were beating quickly, and I strained closer to the edge of my seat. Closer to the doorway. Closer to freedom from school. The teacher's droning was nothing but an incessant buzz in my ears, as it was in many students' minds. Another minute passed slowly as the hand ticked, and I mentally counted down the three minutes that were left until winter break.

Two weeks of nothing.

No classwork, homework, and most importantly, no expectations. No smiling this way, or frowning the other, or grimacing every time someone wore white after labour day. Everything in the past few weeks had been so hectic for me, and I was glad to finally be able to take a break from it all. From all the drama, and everything that was happening, it was hard to think straight. Hard to talk.

Hard to breath.

It was like being in an airless buble, and each time you suck in a breath, you know that you're one minute closer to the edge. One minute closer to the end. The suffocation was un-bearable sometimes. And through the plastic, shiny, beautiful and yet airless bubble I was in, you could feel and hear everything that was happening to you, and you couldn't do anything about it. The bubble; gorgeous, seemingly harmless, alluring, and a trap. Winter break was like the needle that burst the bubble; exactly and the only thing I needed.

I brought my gaze up the the clock, and my heart rate speeded as the last seconds of the last hour of school before winter break passed by.

_Five._

_Four._

_Three._

_Two._

_One._

The bell rang, a shrill sound that pierced through the air and resonated down the halls and into the students' minds. I swung my bookbag over my shoulders and made a beeline towards the doors- my vision tunneling. As soon as I stepped out of the doorway, out of the hall, and out of the school, the ease that had been plaguing me ever since a few weeks ago when I smashed my face into the concrete, courtesy of a few _pricks, _felt lifted. Not completely, as if it was still hovering over me, waiting for the right moment to drop and crush me.

I ignored the feeling and continued to walk.

Swinging open the glossy red door to my car, I slid in, and was only mildly shocked when the shotgun door next to me opened to reveal a smiling face with warm eyes and brown hair tousled carelessly over a heart-breaking face. He stood with one hand propped against he ajar door, his shoulders leaning against the frame of the car.

"Brody! Hi! Need a ride?"

He smiled and sat down next to me, closing the door behind him. I inserted the key into the ignition and pulled my car into reverse, flashing the boy next to me a quick smile as I did so. Giving Brody a ride from time to time didn't bother me. In fact, in the time that we had grown close, it had almost become a sort of after-school ritual.

"I'm leaving for the trip tomorrow, so I have to be home right afterschool." He paused for a moment, leaning in close, and spoke. "But every moment I'm there, I'll be thinking about you." His breath tickled my right ear, and I could all but feel my heart melting into a puddle of forlorn mush at his words. I bit my lip, my insides swooning gaily.

"Brody! You are too sweet for my own good." I replied cheekily, and took my eyes off the road for a moment to kiss him briefly on the cheek.

The rest of the ride passed in playful banter as I pulled up in front of his house. It was a large two-story colonial; marble statues that graced the edges of pure white gothic columns. The grass lawn stretched out in a large rectangle, the edges bordered by alternating between blue and pink azaleas. His family, notoriously known for old oil money, probably had enough cash to buy out the whole Seaford.

He swung out of the passenger side and gave me a chaste kiss before exiting. "See ya soon!"

I smiled, though it felt a bit strained.

Like everything I was trying to escape from kept running right back to smash me in the face with.

**. . . . .**

_I never bothered to look where I'm headed. What's the point in planning if all that's left to do in the end is jump?_

**. . . . .**

**GRACE**

The bell rang.

From that moment, it was a little hard to distinguish a girl from a boy, or teacher from student. There could have been a five foot, orange and purple polka-dot bear in the crown and no one would have even noticed. Everyone was jostled around in the halls, all with necks and ears straining for the door. I caught sight of Kim for a moment, the brief glance of bright blonde hair and light hazel eyes, but before I could say anything, she vanished into the thick crowd towards the parking lot.

I sighed, my chest deflating.

"Hey hey hey chica! What it do, girl?"

I suppressed my smile as I stopped, not even bothering to turn to recongize who the owner of the phrase was. The voice, however annoying, had gotten all too familiar in a good way. A tanned and rather hairy hand came up to my shoulder as a bright mega-watt face appeared on the other side. His hair was slicked up in it's trademark style, the dark curls straining weakly under the hair-gel.

"_Jerry. _Sometimes I wonder about you."

He flashed a brief smile before popping his collar. "Hey, what can I say? The ladies always tend to think about me. I'm what they call a _troglodyte."_

The laughter, hardly supressed from before, now came out; loud and rip-roaring. The latino looked at me with a confused look oh his face, his eyebrows scrunched together. "What? What did I say?" I clapped a hand over my mouth, and doubled over. "Do you even know what a troglodyte is, Jer?"

He though for a moment. "Ermm... I thought that it was supposed to be a term for something cool. Ya know, like swag and swog. At least, that's what my friends told me last time I asked."

I shook my head in disbelief, my eyes shining from the tears of laughter. "I think you might need a new set of friends, then. A troglodyte is a cave-dweller. Idiot. Moron. Retard. Someone who-"

"I think I get it!" Jerry interrupted, putting his hand up to cover my face. I spit it aside and grimaced. He, however, did not notice, and simply continued to speak. "So, moron, huh? I think I've been called that before. Cave-dweller. Hmmm..."

"You _do _know what a dweller is, right?"

He simply scoffed in reply, and gave me a slanted look. "Uh, duuhh! I'm below average, not mentally unsure... A dweller is one who dwells, right?"

I think at that point it was very clear that the message would never be sent across to him. Contented, I struggled to find a way to break things to him, and explain without getting him overly confused. It didn't take much for him to be thoughtless, and with a deep groan, I hefted my bookbag onto my other shoulder, and got ready to explain.

"So, you see, maybe ever consider getting a dictionary, Jer?"

** . . . . .**

"And that's why." I finished off as we reached my car. I fished the keys out of my bag and clicked the unlock button, the clicking of doors as a result when I smiled in satifaction. Pushing buttons, however idiotic it might sound, was incredibly fun.

Good god, the ape was starting to rub off on me.

He smiled, and was about to walk off when he suddenly whirled around and walked back. "Forget something?"

Jerry simply shook his head in reply. "No, well, not really. I just- I.. I wanted to ask you if maybe you wanted to go to my dojo's karate tournament this Tuesday? I heard that you'll be out of town on Wednesday, so I figured that maybe you could swing by if you wanted to. But you don't have to! I don't wanna pressure you into anything, though! I just wanted to ask 'cuz my sensei's been bugging me about this tournament for awhile and he said I should invite some people so the dojo could be a little more popular but I totally understand if you don't want to go because-"

I lifted a hand to cut him off, and smiled because I saw how visibly nervous he was. "Relax, Jerry! I guess I could swing by on Tuesday to watch a little bit of it. I gotta warn you though, I don't know much about karate." He shrugged in reply, his eyes twinkling with delight. "S'okay, neither do I."

I brushed off the confusion that attended his response and grinned even wider. "Awesome! Can I bring a friend?"

"Yeah, sure, why not? The more the better! I'd better get going then. See ya!"

He turned again, before I called out, "Jerry! Forget about something?" At his confused cock of the head, I figured it was safe to assume that this lost case truly did not understand all things. And I laughed, for the first time in what seemed like ages. It wasn't forced because of some stupid and witty comment made by Donna or Kelsey, but genuine amusement.

It felt good.

"I need the address of the dojo, you doofus!"

His eyes widened, like a deer caught in head-lights. He stood there for a brief moment, and slapped the palm of his hand to his forehead, face-palming. "Right. Right. Totally knew that. I was just... Gonna text it to you later!"

"You don't even have my number," I deadpanned. His face dropped, crest-fallen. "Hey, I'll give you my number. You can text me the address later, cool? Just, do me one favor, yes?"

The latino prankster looked up, all wild eyes and smiles. And in that moment, I felt my heart melt a little at the boy whose expression mirrored that of a hopeful puppy's. The grin threatened to nearly split his face in half, and he straightened the black lapels of his vest before standing up a little taller. He rested his elbow against the hood of my car, attempting to play suave.

"And, what would that be, babe?"

"Not, not babe," I corrected, pulling out a pen and a piece of paper from my bag. "I just ask that you don't spam me with texts. It's kinda annoying when someone just sends me a bunch of random pictures and message. Seriously, Jerry." I quickly scrawled my number and held out the piece of paper, but quickly snatched it away before he could take it. "Hey!" he whined.

"I'm not kidding Jerry. Promise?"

He heaved a heavy sigh before lifting up his pinkie. Bemused, I looked at it for a second, before he wagged his finger again, and I hooked my pinke around his. The childish act brought back a surge of forgotten childhood memories. "I promise, Grace."

Nodding in satifaction, I handed him the paper before turning around and sliding into the driver's seat of my car, tucking my bag safely in the stowaway. I was just about to start the engine when my bag buzzed violently, nine times in a row. Fishing my cell-phone out from a small compartment in the center of my bookbag, I quickly typed in my password and was greeted by thirteen texts. All from the same guy.

_Hey Grace! :D_

_What it do? All right there?  
Sweet ride, btdubs._

_Hows it going?_

_Go out with me sometime? ;) _

_How's tomorow? When would be  
good? Do you like Mexican food? ;)_

_No? How about Chinese then? We  
could order takeout!  
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

_I like cheese. And waffles too. But  
not really pancakes... Ewww..._

_SWEET! Just noticed that there was a  
pack of gum in my car. SCORE!_

_Um, nvm. The gum is melted... -_-_

_HEY, I JUST MET YOU, AND THIS  
IS CRAY-CRAY. BUT HERE'S MY NUMBER,  
SO CALL ME MAYBE! _

_Call me?_

_SUGAR HIGH! YEAH! CANDY FTW!_

The last text was the one that made me nearly howl in laughter. I sat in my car, my body shaking hopelessly from the laughter, as I wiped away the tears that came to my eyes for the second time in less than ten minutes.

_Crossed my fingers when we made the  
promise. ;D_

**. . . . .**

**A/N:** _Oh. My. Gosh. That has got to be the shortest chapter I've ever written! Sorry for the huge letdown, I lied the last A/N. This one has got to be, by far, the worst chapter that I've ever written. It's so freaking tiny!_

_Important notice! Apologies to all who enjoyed this, but I think I might be discontinuing "Black, White, and Red". I've lost a lot of inspiration on this story, and I can't plausibly see the plot going somewhere that I didn't already plan out. I've completely run out of ideas, which is why I posted this crappy little chapter for you guys instead of my normal 8000+ words! I haven't decided on anything yet, but I'm leaning towards possibly deleting this._

___On the bright side though, I am currently re-writing this entire story, with a few different quirks. On the off-chance that I do delete this, it will be replaced with a new one with the title as simply "Monochromatic". Make sure to check it out soon!_

___Lots of love,_

_Alexi_


	8. Monochromatic

**A/N:** _Hello there, readers! Unfortunately, this isn't an update. I've been having a lot of trouble with this story, so I decided to re-write it; with a bit of a twist. I will be discontinuing this one, but I do have a new one posted that has the same basic concept; but I'm trying out a bit of a more refined writing style._

_The newer version of this is called "Monochromatic". Copy and paste this: _**/s/9206737/1/Monochromatic** _, after the regular FFN URL, or you could just access it via my profile page.__  
_

_Thanks for all the support that I received on BWR. I hope that you guys enjoy the new version!_

_Lots of love, _

_- Alexi_


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